More than riches
by Link Slate
Summary: A series of one-shots focusing mainly on Zidane and Garnet. Possibly other pairings in future chapters. Meant for those who adore FFIX and can have a laugh at it :D Rated "T" for possible mature themes later on and language. In production.
1. Hazel Eyes and Diamond skies

_Schk!_

"… I'll be back in a bit."

Zidane stood abruptly, stabbing his double-bladed sword into the ground of the campsite. Gentle breezes swayed through surrounding trees, forcing haunting leans and unsettling branches to reach to and from the otherwise seated group. The campfire illuminated his tanned form as he clacked his boots on the large, partly-hollow log he'd been using as a perch. After reaching through a stretch, Zidane turned to his right and began his leave.

"Where do you think you're going?" Freya called motheringly, hastily crossing her arms in protest.

"Just for a walk, _mum_. I'll be back in a bit," he repeated, not even turning to offer her a side-glance.

Timid brown eyes darted from the dancing flames to the swinging tail of the thief. Queen Garnet Til Alexandros scrambled to her feet, ready to venture after the youth before a protestant (albeit apathetic) hand was raised, quickly halting her motion.

"Relax, I'll be fine, Dagger," he remarked with her nickname, not even turning to her - to _his Dagger._

No sign on earth could have shone a brighter beacon towards the boy than that one discarded notion. If he was so deep in thought that he wouldn't even spare a glance toward his beloved _Dagger_ - something was terribly amiss with the blonde. Not a day had gone passed since they'd met that he wouldn't have an arrogant smile about him, a mischievous glint in his eye or at least be spouting some happy-go-lucky, can-do saying… but since their return from Terra, his positivity had seemed absent, his cheeky attitude dormant and – although she'd never admit to missing _that_ trait – his charming and devious advances were all but lost. Days filled with training and preparation had dragged on, painstakingly stealing away the cheer that he constantly emitted…

… and she'd grown weary of having her heart broken by his pained visage. Refusing his half-hearted attempt at assurance, the queen began walking towards the boy.

"Zidane, you…" she paused for a moment, attempting to gather even a facade of confidence, "… you should stay… _we_ should stay together. This world no longer remains the lands that we remember. _We don't know_ what may be out there-"

"I said 'I'll be fine', ok?" he replied, stopping his motion abruptly and turning to her as the others kept their gaze affixed to the genome. He darted around the group shortly, soon coming to rest his eyes within Garnet's. He sighed and allowed a small smile, approaching the now-stationary beauty as she nervously fiddled with her hands.

"I promise I'll be back soon, alright?" he assured, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'll stay close."

"_Not close enough…" _Garnet practically breathed, hinting at barely a whisper and bowing her head. Zidane raised his brows, following her sunken eyes.

"You say somethin'?"

Garnet quickly sprang up, concern burning in her hazel eyes. Even after Zidane's endearing azure's met her own, they still couldn't quell the want that remained stayed and unsettled within the adolescent queen's heart – she didn't want him to leave. She wanted to _help him!_

'_Just say it then, you coward!' _she screamed at herself, trying not to shake in frustration at her continuously hindered voice. _'Just say that you don't want him to go!'_

Her gentle, pleading eyes struck the thief, orchestrating an opus of empathy with an ethereal beauty that even the most acclaimed conductor could not hope to match. She wanted to scream out to him, to hold him, to go _with_ him instead of being left so far behind…

She wanted to be with him. To _protect _him, _a__lways… _but never found the courage necessary to voice her symphony.

"… P-please, don't be long..."

'_Why, Garnet… WHY?'_

Almost melting beneath his confident grin, she was graced with a cunning wink as Zidane turned away from her.

"Like I said, I'll be back in a bit."

_***Clank!***_

"You impossible, irresponsible _fool_!" bellowed Steiner, angrily rousing from his seat and pointing accusingly towards the departing thief, who once again stopped and turned, thoroughly unamused. "Can't you see that the princess is worried about you? As a fellow guardian of her-"

"Forget it, tin man."

Steiner turned furiously to the man that dare interrupt a scowling, especially a scowling from himself. Darting back to Zidane for a moment, he turned from the thief to the red headed figure that was rude enough to intrude upon the conversation.

"Forget it? _Forget it? _You… _YOU-!_"

"I, I! I'm right, and you know it," Amarant shot, sarcastically mimicking Steiner and adding to his not-so-dormant frustration. "He won't die, not until _we_ have our fight."

Amarant's tone was listless and apathetic, as usual. Zidane flicked his hair self-assuredly, continuing away from the group and laughing.

"Not even then, green-back!"

"Eat me, pin-tail."

"Asshole."

"Pansy."

"Dime dealer!"

"_Rat-face!_"

"I take offense to that, Amarant," said Freya, adding her two cents as Zidane suddenly halted (again), turning towards the large, cynical man.

"_So do I, jack-off!_"

"_Half-ass!"_

Garnet quickly raced over to Vivi and Eiko, covering Eiko's ears as Vivi practically pulled his giant straw hat over his head.

"_Ass tard!"_

"_Monkey swine!"_

"_Let's not listen for a while, hmm?"_ Garnet whispered to the young black mage as he quickly looked up, blocking his ears as his bright yellow eyes darted sadly between Amarant and the still departing Zidane.

"_Smelly troll!"_

"_Jock-stain!"_

"_Dick-wad!"_

"_Dumb shit!"_

"_Ginger-nut!"_

"_YOU WANT ME TO BEAT THE SHIT OUTTA YOU, YA LI'L-!"_

"_ZIDANE! AMARANT!_" Steiner bellowed, shouting rather loudly and clearly not being partial to having himself ignored. "HOW CAN YOU SPILL THIS FILTH IN FRONT OF THE PRINCESS?"

"Newsflash Rusty!" called Zidane, pointing to Garnet who was kneeling by Eiko and Vivi. "She's been _Queen_ for about half a freakin' year now and you're _still_ calling her princess!"

Finding himself incredibly embarrassed at being corrected by _Zidane_, especially when the circumstance reads that Steiner is the _Queen's _Personal Guard, he did what any other man would do when he was being righteously accused: fail in attempting to defend himself.

"I-I-I know that! I-I was… just… er, I was _implying_ that… with the current situation at hand, the pri-*cough*-_QUEEN_ should be treated as if she were a princess a-and spared of this invasive and obnoxiously loud-"

"Steiner, please," came Garnet's soft voice as she removed her hands from Eiko's ears, prompting the young girl to stand up and execute a questioning glance toward the young queen. "Just… let him go."

Steiner, bewildered by the correction _AND_ at being silenced by his queen, released a loud huff and turned once more to Zidane, but was cut off by a small blue and yellow blur.

"Wait, _WAIT!_"

A small voice quickly halted Zidane's movement, forcing a twitch of the eye and a slight cringe - his escape, mere moments away, had been, _once again,_ halted. Releasing a slightly irate sigh, he slowly turned to a young girl with sapphire eyes and hair to match with hands placed sternly on her hips. Fortunately, for Zidane, young Eiko wasn't in a lecturing mood and merely pointed at him authoritatively.

"You be careful, alright mister? I know you're hopeless without me around!"

Zidane turned to the young girl, rather surprised. Expecting a rather long speech about how irresponsible it is to leave a young lady all alone in the middle of nowhere, he was quite relieved to find that a simple warning was all he was faced with. Content with the fortunate turn of events, he nodded.

"You keep these guys safe for me, ok?"

He waited for a nod, a thumbs-up, a 'sure thing, Zidane!', a smile… but nothing came. Zidane and Eiko stared each other down for a short moment before Eiko suddenly raised her brows, clearing her throat expectantly. Narrowing his eyes, Zidane quickly caught on to what she was doing and why she wasn't leaving. Releasing a withheld sigh, he knelt down before her and opened his arms.

"Come on, then."

Eiko squeaked happily as she leapt into his arms, happily embracing Zidane and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Quickly darting to Garnet, Zidane noticed a growing smile cross her lips as Eiko gently swayed in his arms. Quicker than it started and before Zidane could even realise, Eiko released him, smiling wide before rapidly dashing back to the campsite. Dusting his pants off quickly and standing once more, he called out for what he prayed would be the last time.

"_I'll be back in a bit!"_

"_NEED I REMIND YOU THAT YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A BLASTED WEAPON?"_ replied Steiner, eyeing the weapon that the theif had left firmly rooted next to his seat.

"_I'VE GOT MY DAGGERS, RUSTY! NOW, WOULD YOU FREAKIN' RELAX?_"

_***Clank!***_

The group sat quietly as Zidane's footsteps were slowly swallowed by silence. Steiner begrudgingly took his seat and grumbled, shifting himself over and over again in a vain attempt to make himself comfortable, ending every attempt with an inevitable and loud clunking of his armour.

"Zzz… but why you no eat frog? Is… Gourmand delicacy… zzz…"

Every eye suddenly turned to the pale lump of pasty skin that was Quina the Qu, sleeping soundly on the ground as his/her giant tongue still happily lavished across his/her face. Vivi suddenly and perfectly voiced what everyone was thinking.

"… how the heck did Quina sleep through the _whole_ thing?"

* * *

_***Clank!***_

Steiner's large brow was the last to hit the pillow as everybody settled into their respective tents. After ensuring everyone was asleep, Garnet found herself alone by the fireplace, prodding the dying embers while her thoughts were quickly taken into a frivolous tango of cerulean eyes and blonde hair. Her worry had escalated to something beyond even her comprehension, and she was steadily making herself sick. It shouldn't be this way, _he_ shouldn't be this way! _SHE_ definitely shouldn't be this way! It's far from common place to have such an unhealthy obsession with someone, but what's worse (and a fact that Steiner _repeatedly_ points out) is that the object of the queen's obsession is a thief – _a thief!_ A common, vulgar, deceitful thief that _constantly_ advances on her, _constantly_ behaves poorly in her presence, _constantly _demonstrates how commoners and ruffians act! _Constantly_ refuses to walk away from those in need, _constantly _makes her smile, _constantly_ makes her… laugh, constantly makes her feel… safe when he is around, always places her opinion higher than anyone else's… repeatedly places his life in danger to save hers…

'_Why will you not admit this to yourself, Garnet?'_ she asked herself again, childishly stoking the charcoaled remains with a dried branch that stretched provocatively within range of her hands. _'You can't stop thinking about him and every miniscule action he takes. He _infuriates_ you, he _intrigues _you, he _amazes_ you and, Heaven be damned, he… he…'_

Garnet smiled, unable to maintain any atmosphere of 'prim and proper' as she stood and dedicatedly nodded toward the forest.

"... he _loves _me."

Jittery with butterflies and quickly ducking into her tent to grab her trusted magic rod, 'Whale Whisker', Garnet set out determinedly after the young thief, satisfied that he had been gone long enough, she'd even care to argue for _too_ long. She was going to find him and, not only that, she was going to help _him_ for once!

Before she knew it, she had found herself at the edge of the dark forest, having thankfully not needed to battle any monsters of the mist. She allowed her eyes to settle upon the beautiful, gleaming moon, almost becoming hypnotised by its splendour - but only for a moment. Walking only a few short metres after reclaiming her gaze from the evening's diamond, she found what she'd been after – a definite and guaranteed way to find Zidane! Reaching within her blouse, she swiftly produced a Gysahl Green, stood between two large bird-shaped footprints and crushed the plant in her hands, releasing the sickeningly sweet aroma. Sure enough, practical clockwork:

"_Kweeeh!"_

Choco, Zidane's faithful Chocobo partner, called loudly as Garnet observed him from a distance, dashing madly towards her and looking a little more than excited. Stopping just before the young girl, Choco happily called again, jumping up and flapping enthusiastically before nibbling away at the Green in Garnet's hand. Stepping closer to pet the incredibly soft and golden plumage of the bird, Garnet ran her hands across Choco's neck, causing the bird to twitter softly, almost as if he appeared to be purring. Inspiring a giggle from the young queen, she spoke happily as she made her way up to gently scratch his cheek.

"It's good to see you too, Choco."

"Kweh!"

Content that he remembered her, Garnet rounded to the bird's side as Choco leaned forward, allowing her to climb onto his back and gracefully position herself. The familiar rush of adrenaline surfaced as she remembered her very first ride on Choco… an adventure she was fortunate enough to share with Zidane.

Speaking of which…

"Choco, I have a task for you," said Garnet, stroking a hand down the back of Choco's neck.

"Kweh!" he happily replied, turning his head to watch her inquisitively.

"Do you know where I can find Zidane?"

Choco bobbed happily, clucking a few times before beginning to flap his large, golden wings. Garnet braced herself against the excited animal.

"Very well. Choco, please take me to him!"

"_Kweeeh!"_

One final call and Garnet's heart almost pounded through her chest as Choco took to the skies, calling happily as he deftly glided with ease through the mist. While a mixture of emotions cascaded the young queen, her most prominent one still brought the largest and most innocent of smiles:

Choco would lead her to Zidane.

* * *

Rightio. First chapter, cute and simple. Gonna be a series of one-shots with Zidane and Garnet, because I love Garnet.

Yeah. I do. Anyways, lemme know what you think! :D

R 'n' R, good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	2. Of Sapphires and Pearls

A peaceful breeze tricked the water surface before him, rippling waves to and fro as the genome teased the water's edge with his boot. Swishing his tail playfully as gazed into the night sky, Zidane sucked in a deep and satisfying breath, allowing himself a moment of peace. A recognisable smile reclaimed its owner as he closed his eyes, returning from the rocky ledge and taking a seat a few feet before the lake. Luminescent blue waves lapped at the edge, their glow only intensified by the stunning pearl of the moon as the winding chorus that soared through the leaves of trees captured Zidane's mind, his heart… and for a moment, _just_ a moment, he was home.

Not Terra, not Gaia…

… _Home._

"_Kweeeh!"_

Choco's distant call kept the youthful smile across Zidane's face. After the terrible goings-on over the past few months, he was only too happy to still have such a loyal companion – one who shared his love for hidden treasures, no less. Remembering how the two had almost keeled over in joy the very first time Choco's beak pierced the hardened timber of a buried treasure chest, Zidane suddenly found himself hungering for another hunt. Seeing no downside – the group would be _fast_ asleep by now – the thief readied himself to abandon his reprieve and slowly-

"You'll stay close, hmm?"

A loud yelp filled the serene environment as Zidane flipped himself into the air, landing rather ungracefully on his front. Pulling his face from the ground and shaking his head, Zidane clumsily darted around the surrounding foliage. That voice… _Dagger?_

"Dagger?" he wheezed, now painfully aware that he'd mildly winded himself. Garnet's form slowly came into view, illuminated by the pearly reflection of the lake. Fumbling his way to his feet, Zidane dusted himself off and met the eyes of the young woman.

"Ho-"

"Choco brought me."

"_Kweeeh!"_

Before he'd been able to ask, Garnet swiftly answered Zidane's question, shrugging it off as the thief plastered a betrayed look upon his face.

"_Traitor!" _he called to his 'loyal' companion, composing himself and finding a steady breathing pattern once again. Zidane heard a few distant clucks before he returned to Garnet, amusedly tracing her form.

"… so what are you doing here?" he asked as he sat down once more and returned his gaze to the lake. She smiled as she laced her hands behind her back, beginning a slow advance.

"I'm doing what you said you'd do: staying _close,_" she said, watching the genome's tail tip flicker as Zidane bowed his head.

"Not close enough, right?"

The smile vanished from Garnet's face – he'd _heard her?_

"You heard me?"

"I'm sorry."

For the first time since she'd known the youth, Zidane wore a look of genuine regret.

"… I shouldn't have gone so far, I know. But…" His gaze quickly lifted to the moon as his tail began rhythmically swaying. "… here, in this place, nothing matters. Nothing to worry over, only the lake and the moon to keep you company… it just feels like this… _here_… _this place_ is home."

"H… Home?" she repeated, continuing her cautious advance. Zidane released a soft laugh as a glimmer of hope erupted in Garnet's chest.

"Yeah, like… _safe…"_ Zidane began, dropping his gaze. "… I wanted to bring you here after this was all over."

"… Me? Why?"

He turned to her, a faintly recognisable smirk lining his lips.

"Beautiful place, beautiful girl… what more could I want?"

A glimpse of the Zidane she knew flashed before her eyes, stirring a happiness thought forgotten from within the young queen. A smile reclaimed her face as Garnet happily took a seat next to Zidane, folding her legs to her side and joining his fascination with the lake.

"… welcome back."

A quick dart to the queen was enough to inspire another answer to another unasked question.

"You haven't been yourself at all, lately, and it's… it's good to see you smile again…"

Zidane scoffed as Garnet turned to him with a grin.

"What are you talkin' about? I'm always smiling! You never know who's gonna fall in lo-"

"Not your real smile…" Garnet interrupted, her gentle eyes flickering with reminiscent euphoria. "Not… not _our_ smile."

Zidane quickly found a lump in his throat as he blinked in disbelief. _'What did she just say?'_

"… _Our_ smile?"

Flabbergasted, Zidane kept a questioning look toward Garnet as she nodded, succumbing to the temptation of the moon. Turning her eyes skyward, she shuffled slightly closer to Zidane who, for the first time, wasn't sure whether to hesitate or advance.

"Before we entered Terra, you'd smile all the time - that confident, happy-go-lucky smile that kept everyone's spirits up, but..." Garnet paused, blinking slowly. "... whenever you'd smile at me – no matter how _mischievously_ – there would… I'd always see a _certain_ smile. You never smiled at anyone else like that and I know – I made sure to look for it – so, I dubbed that as… _our_ smile."

Zidane found a chuckle barred in his throat as he released an amused snort.

"'Dubbed', huh? Sir_ 'Our-Smile_'… Hah! I'll take two sugars with that title, thanks."

His prowess as an actor played to the comical tone of his sentence, rousing a roll of the eyes and a playful slap across his chest from the young queen.

"I _mean_ it! That smile became something familiar, something that I _sought_ after, something I… that felt like…" Garnet spared a smile toward the lake. "… Home."

Finding an intense fascination in the stitched patterns of her gloves, Garnet bore a furiously nervous gaze downwards as Zidane was momentarily lost for words. That much admittance was as far as she thought she'd go, no matter how much more she may have wanted to say.

"Well then…"

Zidane placed a hand underneath Garnet's chin, lifting her gaze from her gloves to his caring eyes.

"… welcome home."

A smile graced her as she welled with joy. Even when he was lost for them, he _still_ had a way with words.

"See? There it is," she said, grinning widely and pointing matter-of-factly, "our smile."

Zidane released a contended laugh as he turned back towards the lake, suddenly finding himself blushing and smiling childishly. Turning away from her rather abruptly, he'd hoped against hope that Garnet hadn't seen – a senseless hope, _really_, and a hidden embarrassment that she was only too happy to expose.

"My goodness, what's this?" she teased, poking a gentle finger to his cheek which Zidane held little success in brushing away. "The ever-suave womaniser, Zidane Tribal, couldn't be sparing a blush of the cheeks for the Queen of Alexandria?"

He contorted his face as Garnet persisted her poking.

"Alright, _alright, buzz off!_" he whinged, wiping his face in a vain attempt to quell the redness. "So, you caught me blushing. You wanna medal? A guy can't blush in peace?"

Not only had his cheeks reddened to match Amarant's hair, but he'd been caught mid-blush by the very instigator. Content in her small victory, Garnet took her place at Zidane's side once more, dusting her overalls quickly and resetting herself properly.

"My apologies," she said, "I suppose it's hardly a spectator sport."

Zidane nodded energetically.

"Not to mention embarrassing as hell…" – he paused for a moment – "… you… really think I'm a womaniser?"

Garnet turned to him dubiously.

"Need I remind you of… *ahem*… '_our'_ date on the airship? What was her name again? Oh, Lilly, Layla? Laura, perhaps?"

Zidane glared at the young queen, defeated _once again._ He harrumphed, keeping a highly unamused expression.

"…Okay, _okay._ Geez, how many times 'ya gonna shut me down tonight?"

Garnet grinned as she placed her arms behind her, leaning on them and kicking her legs out, tempting the water's edge with her leather shoes.

"Well, I have a lot of catching up to do."

Zidane turned to her, met by inquisitive and empathetic eyes as she prayed that she'd made her point. He shook his head in acceptance, clearing his throat and shifting his body to meet the rocky edge of the lake, mimicking her position.

"Alrighty then – ask away."

He rested his head on a clenched fist elbowing his knee - a keen smile on his face to boot. His tail joined with harmonious rocking, flickering from side to side. Garnet tempted his sapphire eyes, glowing enchantingly from the luminescent waves.

"Why have you been running off so much?"

He released a short laugh, turning his head toward the spectacular view of the glowing lake before them. Returning to Garnet, Zidane pointed a finger towards the scenery.

"… kinda speaks for itself, doesn't it?"

"Zidane," Garnet replied, showing little want for the colloquial response, "you know what I mean."

Zidane locked his gaze with Garnet for a moment, quietly wishing that she would have just sat in silence.

"Yeah," he finally voiced, brushing his hair out of his face, "I was just kinda hoping to avoid the subject, 'cause the truth is… I'm panicking."

Garnet seemed concerned upon the answer – surely a mild fear couldn't be causing him _this_ much grief?

"You're scared?"

He raised a brow at her.

"Scared? Mmh, not so much, but I'm not _exactly_ looking forward to flying an alien space-craft into a violently swirling vortex of death that leads to another dimension. Understandable, right?"

Garnet couldn't pinpoint the problem, and she didn't like how Zidane appeared to be dancing around the topic, either.

"Zidane, we're all scared… I mean _all _of us. The only one who doesn't seem to care is Amarant, and… well, he doesn't care about _much_, I suppose, but-"

"I don't understand that guy," he suddenly cut in as he turned to the lake. "All-for-one and whatever is fine and everything, but that's not how the team works. We look out for each other, we _protect_ one another… we… _protect each other…_"

Garnet watched as Zidane quickly ducked his head, indicating that she had divulged the problem… or at least _part_ of the problem.

"You're worried that you won't be able to protect us?"

He darted to her with an unconvincing shrug.

"… Kinda."

A hand jumped to the back of his head as he nervously scratched. Garnet watched in mild amusement as the fine hair along his tail pricked up. She knew she was approaching the problem - or at least a tender topic - and she had a good idea of where to probe next.

"… Zidane, are you worried you won't be able to… protect _me?_"

A sudden jitter of his tail almost answered the question for her. Whilst flattered, she couldn't help but feel a somewhat responsible for Zidane's internal war. He closed his eyes and sighed through his nose.

"I… I dunno what's gonna happen in there. I mean, what if we run into… I dunno, the Lord of the Underworld or something? It's a whole other dimension - what if our weapons are practically useless: our skills, our magic? How am I gonna protect you then? How will I protect _anyone_? I've made myself sick worrying about this for ages, which…" he shot a short look of guilt to the young woman, "might have been why I was pushing everyone so hard. I figured if I… ya know, _fail_, then… someone else could…"

He turned to Garnet, unable to read what she was thinking or tell if he sounded like a complete moron. He went with the latter.

"…sorry."

Garnet shook her head.

"You don't need to be, but… to place such a burden on yourself, Zidane…?"

Zidane flashed a quick smile.

"I know, hah. 'The things I do for pretty girls', right?"

Zidane's comment barely roused a reaction from Garnet as he forced a laugh, followed by a forlorn lean on his knees as he brought them to his chest. His tail was still twitching, hair still pricked… Garnet had barely scraped the surface, but how much further did she dare to investigate?

"So, that's what's been troubling you? You're worried you won't be able to protect me?"

A barely perceptible nod of the head was all she received as Zidane kept a blank gaze towards the lake. She wanted _more_. She'd only just moments ago glimpsed the Zidane that she knew, that she remembered…

That she _loved_.

"… but that's not everything, is it?"

The thief closed his eyes, frowning almost angrily as he gently shook his head.

"It's… Kuja."

And with that, Garnet immediately knew she had found the reason for his disappearances _and_ the reason he frequented the luminous lake before her. Tucking her legs beside her and hanging off his every word, Garnet listened to the boy intently, just as he'd listened to her on countless occasions. Everything that plagued his mind – The Angel of Death, Zidane's undefinable birth right, his fears about possibly letting one or more of his friends down… even his hesitance in going through with what he knew he had to do - _that _was what struck Garnet the most.

"… if it turns out that I _don't_ _need_ to kill him, I won't."

"But… Zidane, he's… he's caused so much destruction, so much _pain_-"

"I know, I know!"

Zidane released an exasperated sigh, wiping his hands down his face before tumbling backwards, sprawling himself out as his tail lividly tapped against the ground beside him.

"He's evil - that makes him an _enemy,_ so I've gotta kill him. But, he's my _brother_ - that makes him _family_, so I've gotta protect him. So, I've got an evil brother that I have to protect by killing him. Does that make sense to you?"

The young girl wanted to answer, but the perceptions his side had offered had even begun to form doubt in her own mind. Having the fortune to be born an only child, she couldn't have imagined the stress the situation would place on her should the circumstances have been reversed. All she could do was turn to the boy, wishing she had some kind – _any_ kind - of comfort to offer him, other than a sad and slow shaking of her head.

"Yeah, same here," he said dryly, shaking his head and grunting. Garnet desperately wished to see him smile again. She didn't want him to be so… distant. She wanted to know, she wanted to _help_. She wanted to-

"Y'ever just lie down and look at the moon?"

Taken by surprise at the placidity of the comment, Garnet's eyes widened at the boy. Not a moment ago, he was plagued by the thought of killing his own brother, yet now, he was musing over something as trivial as moon-viewing?

'_Is… is he alright now?' _she pondered, quickly darting to his tail which seemed to affirm her suspicions as it flickered happily.

"I lost many nights next to my window at the castle because of it," she started, desperately trying to distract herself from the boy's tail, "It's just-"

"-beautiful."

They both stole a glance to each other's eyes upon finishing the sentence together. Zidane smiled as he shifted himself, pushing his legs over the side of the rocky ledge. With the sudden movement offering such a sight, Garnet found herself unable to take her eyes off Zidane's tail. Still merrily swishing back and forth – as ordinary as any other movement that it made every time she'd previously witnessed – but something had caught her attention. The tip seemed to hook, almost forming a furry question mark with every motion it made. As Zidane was far too interested in his personal haven to have paid any attention, she figured she could put to rest an old desire – she'd wanted to touch Zidane's tail since the day they'd met. It had been so _alien_ to her! Eiko had grabbed it once, only for Zidane to quickly snatch it back from her as he flushed red – the thought quickly spiking jealousy in the young queen's heart. Since then, his reaction had been enough to keep Garnet's wonderings from taking physical shape, but this new 'hooking' motion just seemed too much a temptation to pass. Fighting back titters as the 'hook' presented itself again and again, she fought with how she'd articulate the timing – would she make just to touch it? Just quick breaths of the fingertips - seemingly something that a small insect could get away with, or would she put the entire desire to rest and cover its length? Outwardly take hold of it with both hands, just as Eiko had? The thought almost cascaded into a series of giggles - such indecency would surely have been frowned upon in anyone else's presence. It was, after all, just another limb to the boy – and it wasn't common place or at all well-mannered to simply lay hold of another's limbs without direct permission.

But how many more opportunities would arise? It was now or never. A fleeting moment of courage overtook her as Garnet flexed her wrist, leaning forwards-

"You alright, back there?"

Garnet 'eeped' as she shot to Zidane, who in turn peered over his shoulder at the sound of her squeak. Withdrawing her hands to her lap and bringing her knees to her chest, she sat in silence as she fell under the watchful blues of the thief.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, rather confused at how silent she'd become. With a shake of her head, Garnet took a breath and pushed her legs down.

"No, just… taking in the… sights."

Zidane raised a brow.

"… the sights, huh?"

Garnet darted to his tail briefly, which had halted its joyous movements, then nodded.

"Mhm."

At that, Zidane smiled thoughtfully and stood, flicking his tail directly behind him and (much to Garnet's dismay) out of reach of desiring fingers.

"Dagger, cast 'Float' on me."

Dismay forgotten, Garnet quickly looked up to the genome.

"Pardon me?"

"That spell, 'Float'. Cast it on me."

"… Why would you want me-"

"It's a surprise. Come on, please?"

Garnet looked the boy up and down before rising to her feet, gathering her magic power and holding her hands towards the boy.

"Float…" she whispered as a wisp of white aura left her fingertips, quickly finding Zidane and circling around his lower body. The genome smiled as his body raised itself from the ground, allowing him to hover inches above the ground. Garnet turned to Zidane's eyes, wondering why he'd ask such a thing of her – a question that was answered as soon as he jumped from the ledge. Garnet watched him land on the water, staying inches above the surface as he walked towards the centre of the lake, some twenty or so metres in. His contented smile only grew as he scanned his surroundings, entranced in the radiant beauty of his retreat. Garnet watched the boy glide across the water surface, placing her gloves on the bank and smiling as a misty white aura left her fingertips.

"Oh, wow… Dagger, you should see it out here… I thought it was good from the bank, but…" Zidane released an awe-struck breath, turning toward the bank. "… Wow…"

Garnet eased herself onto the water body, effortlessly gliding towards him as the gleaming pearl and sapphire of the lake bathed her in a beautiful sky blue aura. Zidane swallowed, struggling to breathe as he feared even the smallest disturbance would rob the ethereal sight of its beauty. Garnet brushed her hair out of her face, taking in the surrounding view.

"Zidane… this… this is beautiful… it's just like the lakes on Terra…" Garnet breathed, her voice barely a whisper. Zidane gently approached her, the hair along his tail beginning to stand up once again.

"Y… yeah…"

Her form danced across the lake as she closed her eyes, her recently short-cut hair gracefully matching her twirls and steps with short bobs and flicks. Zidane couldn't help but be enchanted by the young queen, barely noticing his own feet guiding themselves towards her.

"Hah, Zidane, look!"

Garnet pointed to the water below her as rippling waves extended beneath the aura of the spell, following the movements of her feet as she jumped from side to side. Zidane followed the notion, suddenly finding an interest in the ripples his own feet were creating. He turned slowly as he playfully stomped above the water, extending the ripples below himself as they overlapped each other until a familiar pain prickled his spine.

"HNNGGUH!"

A crippling tingle suddenly spiked Zidane's back as a familiar sensation pinged his memory. Inhaling a staggered breath and turning around, very knowledgeable as to what he'd find, he eyed the tip of his tail as it coiled itself around Garnet's hand. She looked curiously from the curved tip to the base, running her pale hand across the length as Zidane failed to withhold a shudder. Timid, inquisitive eyes followed the fine hairs along his tail as they stood – a fine excuse (if any was needed at all) for Garnet to glide her hand back over, smoothing out the defiant strands that itched against her palm.

'_Eiko was right…' _the young queen mused, oblivious to Zidane's reactions as she guided her hands along the length numerous times, _'it _is_ soft… incredibly soft, like the silk sheets in the castle-'_

"U-ummm… Dagger, could you… maybe s-stop that?"

Garnet's eyes widened rapidly, hit with sudden realisation that for the past few minutes, her time had been spent stroking Zidane's furred appendage in a way that could _only_ come across as vulgar, uncouth and… _inexcusably_ perverted! Releasing Zidane's tail as it almost instantly swept to his side in cowering retreat, Garnet released a gasp, clapping her hands over her mouth as she shook her head in horrific realisation.

"I-I-I-I'm… o-oh my goodness! I-I'm… Zidane, I'm _so_ sorry! P-please excuse my… I only… it's just… _oh my goodness!_"

Zidane unsuccessfully halted a smirk from creeping onto his lips. He grabbed his tail, guiding a brash closed palm over it.

"Forget it, just… do me a favour and _ask_ me next time, ok? It's…" – Zidane paused for a moment, attempting to word his sentence correctly – "… _sensitive_ when it's taken by… surprise…"

He failed.

Realising how stupid he sounded referring to his tail as if it were alive, he cleared his throat and darted a hand to the back of his head, straightening his tail behind him. Garnet, still shaken, fumbled with words as emotions suddenly raced throughout her body, stealing away her balance and filling her head with air.

"I-I-I just… couldn't help myself… I've never seen _anyone_ with a tail like yours, and I just… I'm sorry, I was curious and needed to kn-NO! I _wanted_ to… ummm, it… I ju-"

"Dagger."

Garnet quickly lifted her gaze, taken by surprise as she was suddenly pulled into a strong embrace.

"Just stop talking."

A familiar feeling bubbled in Garnet's chest as the steady drumming of Zidane's heart slowly began to calm her own. Resting her head in the crease of Zidane's neck, Garnet wrapped her arms around the boy's waist, locking her fingers behind him as his arms tightened around her shoulders. The spirited glow of the lake played to the tranquil beauty of this one exquisite moment, cloaking the young queen in a protective aura that unknowingly persuaded her to ever-so-gently push her lips to Zidane's neck. Closing her eyes and warming to the safety that was Zidane's arms, Garnet voiced a thought that, while seemingly far from sane, made too much sense for her to ignore any longer:

"… I love you."

Zidane wrenched his gaze from the bank as air filled his lungs, unexpectedly stirring violent butterflies in his throat. He released his hold slightly, just enough to meet the nervous gaze of the young woman who had, in mere seconds, affirmed and articulated his own unspoken affections. Brushing fingers passed her cheek and into her silken black hair, a phantom darting to her lips was all it took as Garnet's hands were perilously drawn to Zidane's shoulders, snaking her thumbs beneath the collar of his shirt. Falling far too quickly within the boundaries of his embrace to hold any hope of return, she willed her lips to his, casting caution to the winds as the blossoming moonlit romance began to take shape. The ripples beneath them pined for attention, playfully parting under the force of the 'Float' spell. The inexperienced young girl took only moments with Zidane's careful tuition to part her lips, allowing his tongue to dance with hers. Rising to her toes, Garnet pushed against the genome, unwilling to allow the moment to end as she worked wanting fingers through his messy blonde hair. This moment alone had abolished any doubt that may have remained – Queen Garnet Til Alexandros was hopelessly in love with Zidane Tribal, a thie- _no_, a hero. _Her _hero…

'_My Zidane…'_

Delicately parting from his lips, Garnet breathlessly met his eyes as her hands fell to his chest once more, his heart beating in tandem with hers. His breath left trails of fire against her lips, enticing her mouth to his as Zidane placed a hand to her chin. Garnet's defences crumbled all over again as she closed her eyes and leaned forward.

"WHOA-!"

A noisy splash snapped Garnet's eyes open as she squeaked, finding herself facing the surrounding foliage as she lowered her gaze. The unsteady surface of the water had swallowed Zidane, leaving a mess of bubbles and foam in his wake as a sudden realisation crossed Garnet's mind – Zidane's 'Float' had worn off! Panic struck the young queen as she turned towards the bank, dashing ungracefully as her own 'Float' began to weaken. Jumping from the lake just in the nick of time as she connected with the soft grass over the rocks, Garnet drew a breath of relief as she retrieved her gloves and placed them on again. Standing and turning to the lake, she watched amusedly as Zidane popped his head out of the lake, spluttering loudly as he sunk his brows and spared a slightly disappointing gaze towards Garnet. She placed two fingers to her lips to keep a snicker dormant as he slowly made his way to the ledge.

"Are you alright?" she said, smiling and approaching Zidane as he pulled himself to the bank, resting his head in his hand as he leaned on a flattened rock.

"Well, how about that?" he mused, meeting the eyes he'd been lost in only moments ago with a coy smirk. "Our first kiss knocked me off my feet."

Garnet mimicked his playful smirk as she knelt before him, all too quickly enchanted by his cerulean gaze as she placed a hand against his dampened cheek.

"Promise you'll stay close from now on."

Zidane darted to the side quickly.

"So… no more running off, in other words?" he said, looking forlornly towards the lake. Garnet turned his head towards her, pressing her lips to his once more.

"Not without me, at least."

Garnet stood, turning towards Choco who was barely visible through the shrubbery as Zidane quickly hopped out of the water, shaking himself off. With one last quick look at the lake, he scurried off after Garnet, soon greeted by Choco's excited call.

* * *

Rightio. Not _entirely_ sure how happy I am with this chapter and I'm _sort of_ too tired to care, but basically, this entire series is just gonna be one-shots from my favourite spots throughout Final Fantasy IX. If they're linked in anyway, it'll be depicted in the title… or something. Like "Blah blah blah, part 1" then "Blah blah blah, part 2".

This is just for killing time between composing, so if it's not fantastic, I apologise. Anyways, here's hoping you enjoy it, and new chapters will be added weekly or fortnightly, depending on how inspired I am.

R 'n' R, good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	3. Make like a tree

**Author's note: I honestly wasn't too impressed when Freya was left behind in Alexandria during disc two when Zidane and co. came to save Garnet. Freya was (and still is) one of my favourite characters, so instead of leaving her in Alexandria like a dumbass, for the sake of this fic I left Steiner and Beatrix instead and brought Freya along to the Iifa Tree to join in the mayhem!**

**THIS CHAPTER STARTS AT THE VERY FIRST VISIT TO THE IIFA TREE! ENJOY!**

* * *

"Alright, this way, guys."

"No, we should take _this_ way instead."

"Or, we could do the _smart_ thing and go _this_ way!"

"Or, we could _not _listen to a dummy and go _this_ way!"

"For cryin' out loud, you've never even _been _here before! _We're going THIS way!_"

"Why the heck do you get to make all the decisions, poopy-head?"

"Because _I'm_ the leader, _that's why!_"

Zidane and Eiko threw childish reasoning about like shredded paper as the two bickered ahead of Garnet, Freya and Vivi, forcing an apprehensive approach. A fork in the twisted branches of the Iifa Tree had presented an argument as old as time itself: which way to go?

"That's a dummy reason, and _I_ say we go _this way!_" she retorted, crossing her arms and stamping her foot. Since allowing her to accompany the group on their journey, Eiko had proclaimed herself in charge, leading her 'tour' through the desert and all the way to the sacred tree. Zidane, however, wasn't having any of it.

"_You're_ a dummy reason! We're going this way, _and that's final!_"

Zidane turned briskly from the youth, his tail flickering authoritatively as he made his way down his selected path. Eiko, being thoroughly unimpressed at having her own insult used against her, launched herself at Zidane. Zidane quickly turned around, placing a hand against Eiko's forehead as she whined and flailed her arms wildly, attempting to hit the blonde any way she could.

"YOU DO NOT USE MY INSULTS AGAINST ME, ZIDANE TRIBAL! _YOU_ ARE A DUMMY-HEADED, POOPY-FACED, OGLOP-EATING… _DUMB-HEADED DUMMY!_" she screamed as the remaining three looked on with raised brows. Vivi inched forward.

"U-ummm… Zidane? M-maybe Eiko could… ummm… pick just one direction? Th-th-then you can pick the next?" he muttered, his raspy little voice barely a whisper to Eiko's avalanching screams. Eiko jumped back from Zidane, running to Vivi and smiling.

"Vivi! That's such a good idea!" she cried, leaping towards the small black mage who threw his arms up in defence, only to have Eiko leap past them and wrap her arms around him, pushing a kiss against his darkened cheek. "_This_ is how ladies should be treated, Zidane!"

Eiko turned triumphantly towards Zidane, walking almost buoyantly towards the left path as Vivi suddenly pulled the brim of his hat over his head. Zidane rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll take notes. Come on everyone, _this_ way."

Everyone released a jointed sigh of relief as they made their way towards Zidane's path. Eiko, on the other hand, suddenly turned red with rage as she cried loudly and lunged for Zidane, reaching out and yanking the only thing that was within her reach.

"_HOLY FUUU-MPH!"_

Zidane clamped a hand over his mouth as he jumped. Eiko had grabbed hold of and pulled his tail in her direction, unwilling to release him. Zidane craned his neck, seemingly paralysed by the act as he staggered a shouted response.

"E-E-Eiko! L-l-let me g-go! S-s-stop pulling m-my t-tai-AAH!"

Eiko wailed loudly, an unrelenting grip on Zidane's tail as he began to lose his balance, bringing him to his knees as she tugged again and again.

"_Zidaaaaaaaaaaaane!_ Why are you so mean to… huh?"

Eiko's annoyed glance suddenly turned to admiration as she began to glide a hand over the tip of Zidane's tail. The group watched the childish tussle in dumbfounded awe as Zidane clenched his teeth, releasing a very suggestive groan.

"AAAH! E-Eiko, wh-what the h-hell –AH! – a-are you _d-doing?_" he cried as he shuddered, tail still firmly held within the young girl's grip.

"Ooh, soft…" she trilled, running a thumb and forefinger across the length. Zidane released another staggered groan, watching the hair along his tail become rigid as an unbecoming shade of scarlet lavished his cheeks. Eiko released a girlish titter as Zidane turned furiously towards her, wrenching his tail from her grip and smoothing it down, stroking it like a child strokes a sore arm. Zidane returned to his feet, tail in hand and turned to the young girl, making quite the song and dance of the whole scenario.

"_THIS IS NOT A FU…LIPPING TOY, EIKO!" _Zidane bellowed as he waved the tip of his tail in front of the young girl, barely swallowing a profanity. "It is _ATTACHED_ to me and it… _IT'S FREAKIN' ATTACHED TO ME!_"

The colour of his cheeks had begun to return to its tanned hue as Eiko placed her hands on her hips, smiling and poking her tongue out towards the thief.

"Oh, and what a shame you'll be in front the _whole way_," she sang, darting from his face to his tail. "Your tail will be swinging _behind_ you, barely inches away…"

Eiko suddenly wiped a victorious grin across her face as she locked her fingers together behind her back. A harmonious swaying ensued as Zidane grimaced, furrowing his brows at the young girl who had so easily outwitted him.

"… we're going left."

"Are you _quite_ sure now?"

Freya emerged from behind Vivi and Garnet, folding her arms and throwing a questioning look towards the two. Zidane reluctantly turned to her, scrunching his face in annoyance.

"Yes, so _hurry up!_"

The young girl beside him jumped triumphantly, turning to her selected path.

"Yay! Now we're going the _right_ way!"

Eiko skipped to the left path (missing the irony of her previous comment) as Freya gracefully stepped past Zidane who, adamant to not repeat the fiasco, decided to let Eiko take a rather proud lead.

"Aren't children wonderful, Zidane?" Freya said calmly, smiling towards the thief. Zidane shot her a look.

"I'll let you know when I try one."

Zidane slyly eyed Eiko, skipping happily in the lead as Freya closely followed. Musing how simple it would have been for Quina to swallow Eiko in a single gulp, he found a chuckle well in his throat as he found his place at the back of the group. Falling in next to Vivi, Zidane patted a hand to the mage's back, instigating from him a rapid totter as his young day-dream was cut short. Keeping steadfast to Zidane's side, Vivi's crescent shaped eyes held a firm happiness as he lifted his hat, beaming brightly from Eiko's childish affections.

* * *

"Dagger, Vivi, stay back!"

Vivi jumped back just in time to avoid a long swipe from the tendrils of the Stroper, flailing its stoned limbs around aimlessly as it tore its roots from the branches, angrily inching closer to the party. Garnet pushed a green aura from her body, healing the entire party as Freya and Eiko continued their own assaults.

"Freya! Can you get to its eye?" called Zidane, narrowly avoiding two long arms of the monster and proceeding to slash at the oncoming tentacles.

"I'm a _little_ preoccupied at the moment, Zidane!"

Freya and Eiko had been surprised at the front of the group when four zombies had emerged from the branches, followed by the groaning of the Stroper as it burst through the mouldy branches behind them. The zombies lashed sluggishly towards the Eiko and Freya as Eiko began to gather her magic. Freya leapt towards the three remaining zombies, slashing wildly with her spear as Vivi's magic staff began to glow.

"Fira!"

An explosion of flames erupted beneath the Stroper as it screeched in pain, flailing its arms around furiously.

"Nice one, Vivi!" cried Zidane, dodging another swipe before deftly flipping onto a stray tendril of the temporarily blinded beast. Ascending the hardened limb with his daggers, Zidane confidently spotted an opening, leaping from its outstretched arm towards its eye.

"Everybody, get outta here! I'm gonna let Fenrir give us a helping hand!" cried Eiko as Zidane made contact with the Stroper's body, falling just short of its eye.

"Zidane! Look out!" cried Garnet, dashing away from the battle as Freya kicked a zombie off of the branch, quickly dashing behind Eiko afterwards. Vivi joined the group before he pointed to Zidane, still clinging to the Stroper's body for dear life.

"W-w-wait, Eiko! Z-Zidane's still up th-there!" the young mage cried, pulling against his hat in fear as Zidane turned around, closing an eye in pain as the Stroper continued its deafening wail.

"Huh? _WHAT'D YA SAY?" _he called back, unfortunately only seconds too late. With a flick of her raquet, a stream of lights left Eiko's body.

"Terrestrial Rage!"

Garnet, Vivi and Freya all looked on in horror as Fenrir's giant arm burst from the Iifa tree, sending the remaining zombies and the Stroper flying skywards with a sinister hiss and an equally as memorable shriek from a certain blue-eyed thief.

_"FUUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuuu..."_

Eiko turned around happily, standing proudly before the team.

"No silly zombies can stand against the power of Eiko Carol!" she cried, attempting to wrench the team's gaze from the skies. Noticing that her attempts had failed, Eiko followed the gaze of the group towards the still-ascending enemies, then jumped about childishly, flailing her arms and pouting.

"HEY! Hello? I just saved our butts! Don't you think that _I_ deserve a little more attention tha-"

A realisation suddenly befell the young summoner as Vivi ducked his eyes to her, then quickly returned to the sky. Eiko peaked past Vivi, Garnet and Freya, even shooting a look behind herself as she voiced her thought.

"Where's Zidane?"

Freya, Garnet and Vivi slowly lowered their eyes to the girl, each of their eyes blatantly filled with worry as they pointed horrified fingers to the sky. Eiko followed their lead, turning to the sky and eyeing the small darkened dots that suddenly appeared to be growing… rapidly.

_"... uuuuuuuuuuuuUUUUUUUUUUUU-"_

The prominently somersaulting thief hazed into view, maintaining possibly the longest male scream in Gaia as the giant Stroper corkscrewed past the team, slamming into and bouncing off the branch below them with a thunderous crack. As Zidane remained fast to his descent and even faster to his display of aerial aerobics, Garnet quickly leapt out towards him and summoned a white aura into her magic rod, bursting it towards the plummeting youth.

"FLOAT!" She cried, launching the spell despairingly towards the thief and encircling him in a protective pale glow. Zidane's descent began to slow…

_"-UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"_

… before stopping just inches short of slamming into the branch, back turned to the group and eyes sealed shut. Daring to only allow a slither of light in, Zidane squinted his eyes open just moments before the float effect wore off, using up its effectiveness due to the force of his fall. Landing less-than-gently and slamming his daggers into the branch for all he was worth, Zidane released staggered breaths as he darted around, an unyielding grip around his weapons. A comical screeching was heard as the remaining two zombies slammed into the branch just behind him, promptly exploding into pieces as their remains followed the Stroper to the bottom of the Iifa Tree.

"Zidane! _Zidane!_ Are you alright?" the princess asked, dropping her weapon and nervously scrambling toward him. Kneeling beside him and placing a hand on his back, Garnet pushed against him as Zidane shakingly turned towards her, a nervous smile across his face. Pulling his daggers from the branch, he warily stood as Garnet circled to his front, suddenly wrapping her arms around him. She felt his heart pounding against her chest, unable to understand why her own heartbeat was rising to match his. All she knew at that moment was that Zidane had survived, _she_ had saved him and he was still there… he was _still_ with her. Reluctant to leave the still-trembling boy, Garnet hesitantly released him, meeting his empty eyes as he unexpectedly jolted. Garnet jumped, squealing slightly and clasping a hand to her mouth as Zidane turned to Eiko who was smiling happily in front of Freya and Vivi. Zidane winced as a nerve prominently popped at the top corner of his face as he took a few steps towards her. Opening his mouth in an attempt to convey his current emotions, Zidane found words ultimately stolen from him, opting instead to yell… and yell loudly. Rousing little more than a faltering grin from the youth, Zidane locked his gaze with Eiko, lifting a dagger to the sky.

"I… just saw… the t-top… of the Iifa T-Tree…" he conveyed breathlessly, colour suddenly filling his pale cheeks. Eiko turned to Garnet who, still remaining to Zidane's side, locked eyes with the young summoner, immense worry evident within her darkening eyes as Eiko smiled nervously, returning to Zidane.

"… Was it pretty?"

Zidane felt a rather insane smile touching his lips. Turning his back to Eiko, he flailed his arms wildly, the hair on his tail pricking itself up as he bellowed into the distance.

"_I JUST SAW THE TOP OF THE FUCKING IIFA TREE!"_

Zidane's breath seemed to vanish all at once as the thief began gasping profusely. Garnet remained where she was, staring surprised at the breathless thief as Eiko slowly advanced.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Zidane…"

Zidane suddenly snapped back to his sanity, turning to the young girl who'd clasped her hands behind her back, darting from her shoes to his cerulean eyes. The evident shame she'd felt upon realising that she'd catapulted him along with their enemies skyward shone through as she frowned sadly, stirring a deep sigh from Zidane as he walked towards her. He knelt down next to her and placed a hand against her delicate shoulder, inadvertently causing her to raise her eyes from her shoes to his face.

"… Look, I'm alright now, so… just forget about it. But… make sure I'm _away_ from the enemies next time you do that, alright?" he suggested through a nervous laugh, still jittering nervously as Eiko sprang up happily. She threw her arms around Zidane and kissed his cheek.

"I promise! I'm really glad you're ok, Zidane!" she trilled, retracting her arms from his neck and returning to Freya and Vivi alongside Garnet to collect her abandoned weapon. Zidane quickly rotated his arms, clearing his throat as he turned to the top of the path again.

"Alright, I'm taking the lead from here. Everyone stay together and for the love of God, _don't_ fall behi-EEEYAH!"

A crippling sense of déjà vu forced Zidane's hair to stand once again. A small hand had once again taken hold of his tail and, understandably following recent events, he was ready to explode at the instigator.

"FOR THE LOVE OF _GOD, WOULD YOU STO-"_

Zidane paused as he zipped a glance to his tail, rapidly turning sheet white. Expecting Eiko to have once again grabbed at him, he was instead greeted by the rotting remains of a zombie's arm relentlessly fastened to his extremity, twitching maniacally. Releasing an almighty yelp, the thief performed a front flip, slamming his tail against the tree with a loud crack as the hand loosened its grip, falling to and spasming across the wide branch. Launching himself towards the severed limb, Zidane stabbed furiously, screaming and slashing like a man possessed as Freya and Garnet quickly clapped their hands around Vivi's and Eiko's ears.

"_YOU… MOTHER… FUCKING… PIECE OF… RANK-SMELLING SHIT… ASS… FUCKING GRABBING MY… TAIL! PISSIN'… SONNUVA BITCH… JUST… FUCKING… DIIIIEEE!"_

With a final swipe that left more damage to the branch than the limb, Zidane pushed the mangled mess of flesh and blood from the tree, watching it fall from the branch towards the ocean of roots beneath it.

"_AND FUCKIN' STAY DOWN THERE!"_

Freya and Garnet recovered from the children, quickly re-equipping themselves with their weapons as Zidane shuddered, quickly sheathing his daggers as he selfishly reefed around and clamped a hand around his tail. Pouting childishly, he took one more deep breath before returning to the group. Vivi stepped forward.

"Are… a-are you ok, Zidane?" he asked nervously, barely peaking from underneath his large hat. Zidane released another loud sigh as he turned to the descending path before him.

"… I hate this place."

* * *

This idea occurred to me a while back, and I personally think that Fenrir's attack is hilarious. Kinda just like "BOOM, BITCH, YOU GONE!"

Hah, well it makes me laugh :P

R 'n' R, good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	4. My Canary

**Author's note: I'm not too proud to say that the first time I played Final Fantasy IX, I didn't **_**exactly**_** listen when Kuja captured your party in the desert and forced them to go to Oeilvert saying that there is an anti-magic barrier that, as you might have guessed, stops you from using magic. So, in my infinite wisdom (derp) I formed a party of my favourites, which included a rather weak (at the time) Freya, Zidane, Quina and Dagger.**

**Needless to say, Dagger was seldom useful and the dungeon took me feckin' ages, 'til I found out how much experience them stone fella's give ya!**

**Anyway, this takes place when the party first gets captured by Kuja and then sent to Oeilvert, and will have some sweet scenes between Zidane and Dagger :D**

**Also I change the dialogue of the game MINUTELY in some cases where it just… didn't seem to **_**flow**_** as well to me.**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

Zidane found himself standing in a grand room, the blue lights surrounding him fading as he took a few wary steps forward.

"Welcome to my humble abode."

The voice startled Zidane as he turned, immediately taking to a fighting stance and eyeing Kuja beside a brightly lit fireplace. Kuja met his surprise with a coy smirk and bowed, thereafter locking his eyes with the thief.

"Just cut to the chase and tell me what the hell you want!" Zidane snapped back, instigating a soft laugh from the man.

"My, my, aren't we upset?" Kuja replied, keeping a clam and proper tone as he flicked his silver hair bemusedly. "Well, anyway, this is your errand-"

Kuja narrowed his light-blue eyes at the boy.

"-I want you to go somewhere and bring something back for me."

Zidane took a threatening step forward.

"So, tell me what it is already, you _bastard_!"

Kuja raised a brow toward the boy, maintaining his menacing grin as he shook a warning finger.

"I'd watch my mouth if I were you," he mused, motioning to a series of levers not far from his position. "Surely, you haven't forgotten that I hold your friends' lives in my hands?"

Zidane grunted, abandoning his fighting stance with a kick to the floor. He turned to Kuja and stood tall, desperately holding back from taking a flying swipe at the scoundrel.

"There's a good boy," Kuja said, placing a hand on his hip. "I'm going to send you to a place called Oeilvert."

Zidane hesitated.

"… Where's that?"

"The Forgotten Continent, South of the Seaways Canyon…" Kuja blinked his eyes and shrugged "… it's not really _my_ kind of place."

"Whaddaya mean by that?" asked Zidane, folding his arms impatiently. Kuja eyed him slyly, once again flicking out his hair.

"You see, there's an anti-magic barrier around Oeilvert," Kuja started, walking non-chalantly towards an elegant, raised platform in the centre of the room, "so I want to send you, because you're too _stupid_ to use magic. Ingenious, aren't I?"

Zidane narrowed his eyes at the comment as Kuja chuckled.

"Once there, I want you to retrieve the Gulug Stone, return here and then give it to me. See? Simple, isn't it?" Kuja questioned, resting a hand against the intricately detailed platform. "I'll even send you on my own luxury cruise ship. After all, you are my _guest_."

Kuja smiled towards Zidane, his words tainted with traps as he approached. Holding a hardly-welcoming hand towards him, Zidane took a precautionary step backwards, maintaining hesitant eye contact with the man. Kuja shrugged apathetically, withdrawing his hand momentarily.

"There's no need for such apprehension, Zidane. Surely even _you_ can understand that I only need a little help?"

Kuja replaced his hand towards the thief, motioning to it expectantly and maintaining his wicked grin.

"So? What do you say?"

Zidane locked eyes with the man, darting from his outstretched arm to the still-raised levers for just a moment.

"Release my friends and you have a deal," he stated, returning his gaze to Kuja. Kuja raised his brows, retracting his arm to his side once more as Zidane narrowed his eyes. The smile fell from his features for only a moment before a tiny chuckle passed his lips.

"You're hardly in a position to be making demands, Zidane-"

"And you need your precious stone," Zidane shot back, meeting Kuja's gaze determinedly, "so I'd say we're kinda equal in this. If I say yes, then you get your stone and I get my friends back – win-win."

Kuja faced off against the boy, keeping his oddly charming smile about him as he folded his arms.

"Very well, but only after you return the stone to me."

Zidane eyed him dubiously.

"And they'll _all_ go free?"

Kuja smiled, performing a half bow as he placed a hand to his sternum.

"Would I lie to you?"

Zidane glared towards Kuja, finding the task of taking Kuja's word on the matter rather distasteful. Kuja turned towards the fireplace, raising his arms in a dramatic show of apathy.

"Fine. I'll even let you take three of those people with you," he said through closed eyes. "No sense in fighting yourself alone."

Zidane turned to him quickly.

"What'd you just say?" he asked as Kuja laughed through his nose.

"Hmhmhm, never mind. Speak their names when you've decided-"

"I want Dagger."

Kuja's eyes shot open in disbelief. He turned to Zidane, wide-eyed and scoffed.

"You can't be serious? You're only choosing one? A _magic user_, at that?"

"Of course I'm not only choosing one!" Zidane reprimanded, crunching his hands into fists. "But I want Dagger,_ with me_, first and foremost."

Kuja inhaled annoyance and scrutinized the youth, rolling his eyes.

"Tch… and the other two?"

Zidane met Kuja's hard and narrow eyes with intense anger, before swaying his gaze and folding his arms. He pondered for a moment, unsure of whom else he'd take. He needed to have a backup plan – if the rest of the team needed to be protected, he needed two people here that he could count on.

"If you don't mind, time is of the essence."

Zidane shot a look to Kuja who raised a hand, inching menacingly close to the levers. Making his decision quickly, Zidane stepped forward.

"Dagger, Freya and Quina - that's who I want."

Kuja smiled, raising his hands and closing his eyes once more.

"Very well, then."

Kuja was silent for a moment as Zidane followed his movements carefully. Verging on a rather rude question, he was suddenly distracted by a bright blue light behind him. Turning around, he observed the forms of the princess, Freya and Quina materialise before him. The three of them locked eyes with Zidane as Garnet dashed towards him, arms wide open.

"Hey, hey, it's alright, Dagger. It's ok, I'm here, I've got you," Zidane reassured as Garnet threw her arms around him, silent tears falling from her eyes. A groan was heard behind him as Garnet's arms tightened their grip.

"For God's sake, _please_ spare me the emotional reunion."

Zidane turned angrily towards the voice, matching Kuja's uninterested gaze with disdain as Kuja motioned towards Freya and Quina, both poised to strike.

"On the platform. Chop-chop."

Zidane released an annoyed breath as he took hold of Garnet's hand, leading her towards Freya and Quina.

"Are you alright, Zidane?" Freya asked worriedly, checking the boy as he made his way to her side. "You're not hu-"

"He's fine, rat-woman," interrupted Kuja as he lifted his hand, erupting the blue portal beneath them. Freya threw the man a filthy look as Kuja upturned his nose.

"Don't forget our promise, Zidane."

Zidane turned from Garnet, pointing a threatening finger towards Kuja.

"You'd better not be lying, Kuja!"

Zidane watched a crooked grin form across Kuja's visage, followed by a sinister chuckle as the blue lights consumed him.

"_Would I lie to you?"_

* * *

"Goddamnit!"

Zidane kicked the railings of the airship, finding a secluded area to himself at the stern. Hidden partially by boxes and barrels strewn about the ship, he found himself thankful for some time away from everyone… just to think. He cursed and reprimanded himself for having to leave the others behind, even though he knew he had no way out of it. He closed his eyes, folding his arms against the railings and leaning his forehead against them.

"Kuja, you bastard…"

Zidane's thoughts suddenly turned to Vivi. The young black mage would have no idea what was going on. He'd be scared, lonely… and trapped with the bastard who created him! Then again, Eiko would be just as scared, if not worse, but bringing two magic users to such a place would have been pointless… and as much as he didn't want to admit it, bringing Garnet along was just as dumb, but…

"Ugh! I couldn't just leave you there!"

Surprising himself at his outburst, he lifted his head from his arms, gazing out over the ocean towards the area that they were soon to enter – The Forgotten Continent. Panic near paralysed him as the arduous task that lay ahead danced across his mind. Where the hell _was_ Oeilvert anyway? He'd never been there before – Geez, until only a few months ago, he'd never been outside the Mist Continent! Every leg of this adventure just seemed to be getting stranger and more dangerous, leading him further away from…

'… _Home…'_

The word sounded foreign to Zidane. In all his years, he'd heard of nothing, seen nothing and explored nowhere that seemed like 'home' to him. The remnants of his childhood were all but blocked out by a distant memory of a bright light, and Hell would freeze over before he could remember what that was. The closest thing he had to a family was Baku and the group of Tantalus, and they were miles away… Ruby, Cinna, Marcus, Blank…

"… Am I ever gonna see you guys again?"

The thought portrayed itself as barely a whisper. Zidane felt cold as, for the first time in his life, he _didn't_ know whether or not he'd see his family again. Everything was so simple before he'd been launched into this entire scheme with one fateful action – the kidnapping of Princess Garnet Til Alexandros – but as much as he tried, he'd never be able to bring himself to regret it. How could he regret the one action that had put in motion the events that enabled such a grand adventure? He had travelled, he had battled, he had met new and exciting people… and one crippling thought that halted his entire mind played as he turned towards the fast-fading Mist Continent…

He'd fallen head over heels for the princess. Not a schoolboy crush – he was _in love_ with her. Why else would he ensure that, out of everyone he was travelling with, _she_ was the first to be called to his side when Kuja proposed the offer? Garnet's only point of attack is her magic. She'd be scarcely useful in the upcoming fights they were sure to endure, but Zidane didn't care. As long as she was close.

As long as she was close _to him_…

… As long as…

"Hmph."

Tiny footsteps creaked across the floorboards behind him as Zidane felt his insides clench. Zorn and Thorn had been annoyingly tenacious with their routine check-ups on the party and Zidane was growing weary of their stupid rhyming antics.

"Would you two just leave me alone? Honestly, whaddaya think I'm gonna do, jump off the fu-"

Zidane silenced himself as he turned around, meeting a sympathetic and sorrowful gaze. Garnet had rounded the cabin to his left, leaning against the wall just shy of a circled window and was peering towards him cautiously. Zidane attempted to etch an apologetic smile onto his face.

"Dagger… Oh! Uh, hah, sorry. I-I thought you were…" he paused, suddenly shaking his head. "… Never mind. How long have you be-"

Zidane suddenly remembered that she'd lost her voice as the princess took a step towards him, shaking her head. He sighed, nodding in recognition and turned back towards the railings.

"It's alright, don't worry about it. I… I just needed some air. I'll come inside in a second."

His gaze narrowed as a small group of snow-covered islands hazed into a very distant view, involuntarily causing him to rub his hands over his arms. It wasn't until a small hand tapped against his shoulder that he once again turned, finding Garnet to his side and holding something out to him. Darting from her troubled eyes to her hand, Zidane took what seemed to be a folded piece of paper from her, unfolding it until it was completely open and noticing writing at the top left corner.

'_I've been here a few minutes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry.'_

Zidane turned to her as Garnet held up a small pencil, a tiny grin shaping over her lips. Zidane pointed to the pencil.

"… where'd you get that?"

Garnet quickly took the paper from his hand, scribbled something onto it and promptly returned it to him.

'_The guest room.'_

Zidane hummed thoughtfully, wondering why the idea to give the recently mute girl a pencil and paper hadn't occurred to him, or anyone else, over the past few weeks. Before he'd even realised she'd taken the paper from him, she was prominently pushing it back into his palm, eager for him to read what she'd written. He turned to her, laughing quietly and flicking his tail.

"Hah, I guess it's been a while since you've talked to someone, huh? I'll bet you miss it," he joked as she smiled a little wider, nodding just once and then proceeding to poke the paper in his hand. Zidane opened it and read her writings once again.

'_Who couldn't you leave where?'_

Zidane winced – so she _had_ been there for a while. He turned to her, inquisitive eyes meeting his own.

"… You, Dagger. I couldn't leave you… _back there_."

She took the parchment quickly and began scribbling wildly, obviously concerned by his answer.

'_Are the others ok?'_

"From what Kuja has promised, yes."

Still seeming concerned, Garnet reclaimed the paper and then etched out what seemed to be a rather lengthy question. Zidane braced himself, waiting to have to reveal what Kuja had asked of him.

'_What are we doing on this ship, where are we going, and what did you promise Kuja?'_

Zidane took a deep breath, fully aware that it wasn't going to be an easy answer.

"We're going to find a place called Oeilvert to find something called a Gulug Stone for Kuja. He needs us to do it because Oeilvert has an anti-magic barrier surrounding it, so Kuja can't get inside." Zidane paused for a moment, taking in Garnet's terrified reaction before continuing. "After threatening you all, he asked me to go and get the stone, so I struck a deal. I told him that I'd… that I'd get the stone for him if he promised to set you all free. So… that's why we're here and Vivi, Steiner, Amarant and Eiko are back there."

Garnet appeared lost at his answer, merely retrieving her paper before she started writing once again. Zidane returned to his view, watching the snow-covered land mass drift by as a certain crumpled ruin caught his attention. For some reason, he couldn't escape the feeling that he'd be acquainted with the place sometime soon as Garnet pushed the parchment into his hand once more.

'_Why didn't you leave me back there? I won't be of any help to you without my magic…'_

"Because Steiner and Amarant will keep Vivi and Eiko safe and…" Zidane turned to Garnet, a sheepish grin forming on his own face, "… I wanted you… I had to keep you close."

Zidane returned the paper to Garnet as he closed his eyes, oblivious to the airship almost completing its venture. Admittedly slightly embarrassed at the confession, he found himself wanting to shrink away from the princess, finding these alien characteristics hardly befitting of himself. A small hand clasped gently over his own as he opened his eyes. However, instead of being graced by the paper in his hand, Garnet placed gentle fingers to his chin, turning his face to hers. Glassy-eyed, she took her hand from his face and held up the paper folded between her fingers, only one word on the folded square:

'_Why?'_

Zidane sighed, meeting her hazel eyes with apprehension – now, of all times? He braced himself, willing himself the courage to tell Garnet why he wanted… _needed_ her to be close, and found only one way to word it.

"… Because you're my canary."

The words fluttered to Garnet's ears, singing melodies she'd only dreamt of hearing as tears began to sting her eyes. As her heart caught in her throat, a definitive trembling of her bottom lip was all Zidane saw before the princess threw her arms around him, pushing her lips against his cheek as she softly sobbed. Zidane quickly brought his arms around her, holding her close to him as she rose to her toes. Garnet's entire body tingled with the static between the two at that one moment, displaying only one prominent thought through her mind. Even though she wouldn't have been able to voice it, the breaths of words still fell from her lips, unspoken and irrevocably true:

"_I love you, Zidane…"_

Zidane brushed a hand over Garnet's hair, unwilling for the moment to end.

"I'll protect you, Dagger, I promise."

The majesty of the moment was swift, fleeting, and unforgettable. Nothing could have reassured the princess more at that time than Zidane's words. She pushed herself back from him, meeting his cerulean gaze and shortening her breath. Her heartbeat quickened as heat began to trail her sides, darting to his lips – the place where she wished only to _linger_ for a moment – and leaning towards him.

"Ahah! We have found you!"

"Found you, we have!

Garnet would have squeaked out a tiny yelp if her voice hadn't been lost to her. Turning rapidly as Zidane stood in front of her, arms stretched out defensively, Garnet placed a hand to Zidane's shoulder, readying a 'Protect' spell as Zorn and Thorn danced before them.

"What's all this then? The princess and the thief are courting by the stern?"

"Not allow this, will we! This young romance, we will burn!"

Zorn and Thorn turned to each other, nodding and jumping in tandem before returning to Zidane and Garnet.

"The young princess knows nothing about the task that falls to Zidane!"

"Master Kuja, we will serve! To these two traitors, we will cause pain!"

"Loitering chores!"

"Trouble-makers, you are!"

Zidane slammed a foot against the floorboards, barking furiously and advancing towards the jesters.

"Would you freaks just _piss off!_ I'm sick to damn death of you! Your rhymes suck, your _voices_ suck, and everything about you just makes me wanna throw you offa the _fucking bow, _so take a hike! _I know_ what Kuja wants, so _shut your damn mouths!_"

Zorn and Thorn released horrified gasps as they turned to each other. Shaking their heads, they returned their gaze to Zidane, jumping furiously.

"No equal, your rudeness has!"

"Troublesome upstart, our voices _do not suck!_"

The twins prepared themselves, summoning up a magic attack as Zidane swiftly equipped his daggers.

"Now, our magic, we will use-"

"- and Zidane's future _will be fu-"_

"This ship not luxury! Is _terrible!_ No tasty munchies anywhere!"

A familiar croaky voice cut off the rhyming twins as Quina suddenly poked his/her head out from around the corner behind Zorn and Thorn, rousing a surprised flailing jump from the jesters. Startled, they turned towards the Qu, suddenly struck by a crippling fear as Quina sniffed around them affectionately.

"Hmmm… strange colourful animals smell different! Maybe try to cook?" s/he said as Quina reached into his/her back pocket for his/her large fork. The twins eyed the giant utensil fearfully, rapidly turning to each other and stuttering.

"W-We should leave, now!"

"L-Leave now, we should!"

Zorn and Thorn scurried around Quina, desperately fleeing with their hands above their heads as Quina turned towards them.

"Ooh, they very fast, like rabbit! Make good stew!" the Qu cried, sniffing towards them and thereafter disappearing after them. Zidane laughed and whipped his blades back into their sheaths, returning to Garnet with a charming smile.

"Sometimes, ya gotta love Quina."

A smile formed across the quiet princess' lips as she nodded towards Zidane, leaning towards him and resting her head on his shoulder. Zidane took Garnet's hand as she lifted her gaze, motioning towards the front of the ship as a sudden tremor burst through the ship. A black mage rounded the corner, unintentionally causing Zidane to once again regret leaving Vivi behind, and stared at the two.

"We've landed, it's time to go."

Zidane nodded towards the mage as Freya emerged from behind him, spear equipped and determined look across her visage.

"Are you two ready?"

Zidane turned to Garnet who returned with a confident nod, smiling and brushing her hair from her face. Taking his lead, she tottered alongside Zidane as the black mage turned and proceeded back to the bow. Freya released a tensed sigh.

"So, where are… wait, where's Quina?"

The Burmecian scanned the surroundings as Zidane smirked, walking past her with Garnet fast in tow.

"Hopefully, s/he's getting some fast food before we leave."

* * *

"Now remember, don't come back without the stone!"

"Or never be found will your bones!"

"_For God's sake, shut up already!_"

The jesters jumped around as the platform to the airship was raised. Zidane gruffly took out his map before hoisting his item pack onto his back. Folding it quickly before giving a quick stretch, he turned towards the anxious party.

"Everyone ready?"

Garnet, Freya and Quina all nodded in succession, weapons equipped and waiting. Zidane released a sigh, patting his daggers as he turned to the South, wincing.

"Alright, stay on your guard, it's gonna be a dangerous trip."

Garnet quickly made her way to Zidane's side as he set off, Freya and Quina staying at the rear. Dry winds blew across the barren terrain, persistently blowing sand and dirt amongst the party as the crimson glow of the sun blazed across the tops of the distant, towering sand-stone cliffs. Before long, the airship was a distant and sorely missed memory. Zidane perused the map in his hand, attempting to find the location of this apparent 'Oeilvert' as he remembered the only clue Kuja gave him: it was south of the Seaways Canyon. Using his finger to trace an undisclosed route along the map, Zidane's stomach clenched as he suddenly eyed the exact location: a large and abandoned palace of some sort at the dead-end of a snaking desert trail, surrounded by unsurpassable cliff faces. Suddenly scrunching his fists and stopping, Zidane bore a furious glare at the not-so-distant towering mountains. Garnet paused with his motion, turning to him cautiously as he whipped around wildly, his tail cracking against the ground.

"Zidane? What's wrong?" asked Freya, watching his movements as he turned back toward the ship. Zidane paused momentarily before taking in a rather large breath:

"_YOU PRICKS COULDN'T HAVE PARKED A BIT FUCKING CLOSER, COULD YA!"_

* * *

Admit it, when you _finally_ found Oeilvert after a series of "Run, battle, tent, run, battle, tent, run, battle, tent", all of you asked the _exact same question._ Honestly, 'Kuja' have parked a bit closer? _*nyuk, nyuk, nyuk!*_

Terrible jokes aside, I'm contemplating whether or not to continue this Oeilvert Saga with another chapter, or leave it here and go on to another favourite place: Esto Gaza! Either way, Dagger still won't be talking.

Decisions, decisions… let me know what you guys think! :D

R 'n' R, good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	5. Homes, Stones and Clones

**Just to warn, this is a long-ass chapter… but then again, I loved this section of the game. :D**

* * *

"… Zidane, something smell like very bad fish."

"That's nice, Quina."

"No, not nice at all. Smell _terrible._"

"Mhm, I'll bet it d-_whoa, sweet freakin' JESUS!_"

The map flung from Zidane's grip as he clapped a hand over his nose, gagging heavily as he darted for the source of the offensive odour.

"… What… is that?"

Freya pointed curiously towards the object in question as Zidane, Garnet and Quina swiftly armed themselves. Many tiny legs propped the… 'thing' up, standing twice as tall as Zidane and staggering rather spastically. A large, paling fish of some sort hung from the 'roof' of the clunky mass, revealing the source of the foul odour as Zidane contorted his face in disbelief.

"Is… is that a _house?_" he asked, tilting his head towards the staggering monument. "What the heck is that thing through it?"

The proverbial 'house' appeared to have a large, double-ended cannon placed directly through its centre, immediately instigating a cautious approach from the party. Zidane retrieved the map, tucking it into his vest as Quina stared disappointedly, sniffing towards the wooden conglomeration and scratching his/her head with his/her Gastro Fork – a recent gift from Quina's master, Quale.

"It very small..." the Qu pondered aloud, shaking his/her head and slapping his/her tongue from side to side. "… I no live there."

A quick tap of his shoulder had Zidane turned quickly towards Garnet, panicking. To his relief, she wasn't in danger – instead, she was merely holding up the folded paper she'd used on the ship to talk to Zidane. Zidane turned to the paper, noticing once again that it had only one word written on it: '_Armstrong!'_

'_Huh?'_ seemed the only prominent thought in Zidane's mind as he turned to Garnet with a raised brow. Anxious eyes met his own as Garnet mustered her most imploring look, pointing towards the teetering assembly and then swiftly prodding her paper. Zidane shot to the slowly approaching 'house', back to Garnet's paper and then back to the 'house', pointing questioningly with his dagger.

"_That's_ an 'Armstrong'?" he finally asked, putting two and two together. Garnet nodded concernedly before taking hold of her racquet, turning to the 'Armstrong'. Zidane, Quina and Freya turned with her as all four of them observed the strange wobbling of the lumbering figure.

"Huh… fair enough then," stated Zidane, quickly lifting his 'detector' to his eye and checking the Armstrong for any items worth stealing. _'Hi-potion… great. As if we don't have a million o' those…_' Zidane replaced his detector to his pocket, whipping away his daggers in the process. "Well, either way, it doesn't seem to be doing much. Let's go-"

"Wait, Zidane! I smell new smell…" Quina interrupted, suddenly sniffing toward the air and turning to the Armstrong, "… smell like burning wood! That mean fire, which mean cooking!"

Zidane, intrigued, turned his nose skywards and inhaled deeply, wondering how the heck Quina could smell almost anything a mile away – all Zidane smelt was the hot and dirty landscape before him. Turning to Quina, he scratched the back of his head dismissively.

"Ummm… I don't smell anything, Quina…"

"That because you no Gourmand! We smell _everything,"_ the Qu exclaimed, sniffing feverishly towards the Armstrong, "and cooking smell come from inside small house! Maybe house-warming! Lots of yummy-yummies!"

Before Zidane could react, Quina bounded towards the Armstrong, fork at the ready and nought but the next feast on his/her mind… and it was at that moment, to his horror, that Zidane suddenly found out what the 'burning' smell was. The Armstrong jittered spastically as a rather dull clunking sound echoed from its cannon.

"Quina, wait! _It's gonna-_"

_***BOOM!***_

Before Quina had time to react, a prominent, fiery blast from the Armstrong's cannon hurtled a plethora of shrapnel towards the Qu, connecting with and promptly knocking him/her over and, unfortunately, inadvertently jabbing Quina with his/her proudly held fork.

"Quina!" called Zidane, promptly re-arming himself and turning towards the blundering mass of white as Quina flailed about, rolling from side to side and plucking the protruding weapon from him/herself.

"EIIIYAH! Tiny house poke Quina with own fork! Is not very nice!"

Quina jumped up, angrily stomping from side to side as he/she readied a blue magic spell. Zidane, Freya and Garnet advanced towards the angered Qu, ready to back him/her up and dive into the heat of battle.

"Now I mad! I cook you… good, and I… eat…"

Quina's erratic stomping suddenly slowed. Little by little, the Qu suddenly seemed drained of all energy until all that remained of the stomping rage was a languid swaying. Zidane darted worriedly between the Armstrong and Quina, eyeing the latter inquisitively and pointing towards the smoking cannon.

"… Quina? Ummm… that spell? Might be a good idea to, ya know… _CAST IT?_" he cried frantically as Quina continued his/her rhythmic swaying.

"But… Zidane…" Quina suddenly yawned, stretching before inducing a troubling lean, "… I so tired…"

As the fork suddenly fell from Quina's hands with a muffled tinkering, Zidane watched in mild confusion as the Qu fell forward with a loud crunch, burying his/her head in the crimson dirt before him/her.

"… ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW!?"

Bewildered, Zidane zipped to the front of the Qu as loud snores erupted from his/her buried face, pushing tiny clouds of dust out of the exposed sides of Quina's wide mouth with every breath. Zidane quickly picked up Quina's weapon, glancing towards the forks at the end and wiping a finger across the middlemost tip. Brushing the sampled finger past his nose, Zidane jumped back, releasing the weapon as it fell to Quina's side and flailing his arms hysterically.

"… QUINA'S WEAPON IS LACED WITH_ SLEEPING POISON!"_

Zidane quickly darted to Freya and Garnet, both struggling in deciding whether to laugh at the absurdity of the entire situation or avenge the hilarity by bringing down the Armstrong. Opting for the second as they all turned to the being, Zidane found himself tasting a familiar scent of cinder and ash as the familiar thunking of metal was heard. He jerked his head to Freya and Garnet.

"_GET OUTTA THE WAY!"_

Freya leapt to the skies, narrowly avoiding the lumps of metal and wood that whistled past her as Garnet deflected any wandering shrapnel via a 'Protect' spell. Landing elegantly beside Garnet, Freya motheringly demanded that the princess stay where she was, thereafter taking to a fighting stance as Zidane did the same, bouncing on the balls of his feet angrily.

"Right, that _does it! _No one attacks_ MY _Dagger! You're dead, Armstrong!" called Zidane, following its sporadic movements as the Armstrong teetered and creaked. Freya cleared her throat expectantly.

"I'm fairly sure the attack was aimed at _me_, Zid- wait, Armstrong?" Freya questioned, quickly rounding to Zidane's side. Zidane abruptly turned towards her, returning to the enemy and quickly feigning a dash to his right as the Armstrong jerked to follow his movements.

"Yeah! That's that thing's name!"

"How do you know that?" Freya asked, readjusting her spear and strafing as she seized up the Armstrong. Zidane motioned to Garnet.

"Dagger told me! She musta… umm, done that magic thing… 'Scan'? Yeah, she scanned it! C'mon!" he replied, whipping to Freya, twirling his daggers and dashing to the Armstrong's left side. Freya swiftly caught wind of the plan, wasting very little time in rushing to its right.

"What do you mean,_ 'she scanned it'?_" called Freya, closing the distance between the enemy as it suddenly started to jitter, almost as if it was nervous. Zidane reeled around to her, shrugging his shoulders as he continued his dash.

"It's_ magic! _You expect me to explain it?"

Freya and Zidane lined to their respective sides of the enemy, both with weapons poised and ready to strike. Upon the two leaping towards the enemy, the Armstrong's legs quickly scurried around, whipping the large cannon-like protrusions sideways and knocking Zidane and Freya away with a dull 'thunk'.

"_OOMPH!"_

Zidane spiralled downwards, quickly correcting himself mid-flip and landing scarce few metres from the Armstrong's cannon, which was now fervently aimed at the thief. The Armstrong bobbed up and down slightly before another clunk was heard, rousing an exasperated jaw drop from Zidane.

"Oh, _COME ON!"_

A flash of red escaped Zidane's sight as Freya hastened to his side, quickly threading fingers beneath the back of his vest and leaping both of them to safety and away from the loud blast. Landing in tandem as the Armstrong hurried to follow them, Zidane and Freya recovered to their fighting stances as the Armstrong's cannon smoked once again. Quickly taken by surprise by a white aura surrounding the enemy, the two observed the Armstrong as it began to hover a handful of feet above the ground, its tiny feet dangling helplessly as it rotated in the air.

"Float?" Zidane called, quickly turning to the only person in the party who could have cast the spell. Garnet was waving frantically towards Zidane and Freya, motioning towards her now-glowing racquet.

"Freya!" called Zidane, hit by sudden realisation as he took Freya's hand and bolted towards Garnet who raised her racquet, surrounding herself with pale green orbs of magic. Freya quickly caught on, catching up with her feet and watching as the orbs surrounding Garnet dispersed skywards, parting the clouds in a large, white circle. An enormous, pink, rectangle-shaped beast with teeth akin to a portcullis appeared hundreds of metres above them. Opening its large and seemingly bottomless mouth and inhaling what seemed to be the magic expelled from Garnet's body, dark lightning crackled between Atomos' gaping jaws, forming a large swirling black sphere within its gate-like teeth. Launching the gravity-orb towards the Armstrong from its dizzying height above the team, Atomos quickly disappeared into the sky once more as the team surrounded Quina and braced themselves against the sleeping Qu.

The giant black orb fell from the sky, halting a fair distance above the Armstrong as it was lifted from its floating perch. Stray chunks of earth and rock ascended alongside the enemy, tearing the ground apart as the party held on to Quina like some kind of comical white anchor. A series of hollow, metallic clunks and cannon shots were heard as burst after burst exploded from the ascending and whirling cannoneer. Although no visible emotion was shown, panic was evident in its futile attacks as the Armstrong was slowly enveloped by the swirling black sphere. Violet lightning crackled around the sphere, followed by pale violet rings forming around it and drawing themselves towards the centre as the orb began to steadily decrease in size until a small explosion dissipated the ball completely. Now a minute dot, the Armstrong hurtled back towards Gaia, both ends of the cannon twisted in ludicrous ways as it met the ground with a tremendous impact, reducing its entirety to splinters, shards of metal and blood.

Raising themselves from their respective tether, the party turned to the aftermath of upturned segments of earth as what remained of the Armstrong smouldered dejectedly. It wasn't until Zidane stood that he noticed that he'd actually wrapped his tail around Garnet's waist – a fact only brought to his attention by Garnet's attempt to move forward. Noting the constricting halt of movement as Zidane suddenly lurched forward, Garnet suddenly turned toward the thief, following his tail from her waist to his backside with large, questioning eyes. A quick flick of the limb had Zidane's tail unfastened from the princess' waist and flicked straight behind him, leaving only blushing cheeks and defensively raised hands in its wake.

"Oh, wow! D-Dagger, I'm... I'm sorry! I have... no idea how my tail…" Zidane trailed off, his tail standing apprehensively behind him as he darted from Garnet's waist to her eyes. It was at this moment that Zidane quickly noticed something - he wasn't the only one blushing. Garnet had dropped her racquet as she flung her hands to her face, holding her mouth as Zidane suddenly found a smirk lining his lips.

"Ummm, heh… I didn't think you'd get that embarrassed, Dagger. I mean," Zidane paused, reaching behind himself and bringing his tail to his front, "it's just my tail."

Garnet's hands remained where they were, fastened tightly around her cheeks as she shook her head, darting from his tail to his eyes with a mixture of panic and worry. Zidane raised a brow, taking a cautious step towards her.

"Are… are you alright, Dagger? If…" he began, trying to make sense of her strange actions. "… If you're worried that you hurt me, uh, well you didn't-"

"Fantastic work, Dagger. It was a brilliant idea to catch our attention with the 'float' spell. We owe you…"

Freya had turned to the princess, noticing nothing at first until Garnet pointed a horrified finger towards Zidane, her mouth open as if she wanted to scream. Zidane's eyes widened at the notion as Freya quickly took to Garnet's side, placing hands on her shoulders.

"Dagger? Dagger! Are you alright?" Freya darted to Zidane, glowering towards him. "_What_ did you do to her?"

Releasing a shocked breath, Zidane flailed his hands wildly as he shouted back.

"What the heck are you talking about? I didn't do anything! I-"

Zidane suddenly stopped, sniffing a few times as he darted between Freya and Garnet.

"… Where's Quina?"

Freya suddenly adopted Garnet's actions, cupping a hand to her mouth as a horrified look crept over her face. Zidane hesitated for a moment as he shuddered, suddenly consumed by a terrible, _terrible_ realisation.

"Zidane! Good news! Fish smell bad, but don't taste bad!"

Zidane quivered as he turned around, stopping his eyes on the image of the happily chomping Qu, hunched over the remains of the Armstrong and devouring what was left of the overtly pungent fish. A pale white that matched Quina's hat crept onto Zidane's face as he quickly clapped a hand to his mouth, running a short distance from Garnet and Freya as the latter looked toward him worriedly.

"Z-Zidane! Where are you goi-_OH MY GOODNESS!_"

Freya was cut off almost instantly as series of loud retching was heard, followed by Zidane hunching over and his tail becoming rather stiff with every subsequent heave. Freya barely had time to react as Garnet suddenly fainted onto her, only just managing to catch the princess before she fell to the ground. Kneeling under the weight of the young girl, Freya positioned Garnet on her side, removing her red hat and proceeding to fan her with it. Zidane waved a hand above his head frantically, trying in vain to ward off the images that plagued his mind.

"No, _no! _Of all the foul, revolting, _-*nngh!*- _things I've ever… _-*ulp!*-_ seen in my _GOD DAMN LIFE! QUINA, YOU ARE DISG-*URP!*-USTING!"_

Paying absolutely no attention to the thief at all, Quina continued to munch away as Freya found an amused smile creep into her face. Zidane, presumably having had enough of his heaving, warily returned to the group, turning to Freya who had suddenly been overcome with an intense bought of the giggles. Returning her red hat to her head, Freya continued to titter at Zidane who raised a questioning brow.

"What… ugh, what the heck could _possibly_ be funny about this?" he asked, turning to her as Quina suddenly hopped up from the mess, eager to be reunited with his/her friends.

"This entire situation is… just so absurd, it's hilarious!" Freya cried, showing her teeth as she giggled childishly. "Quina fell asleep and is currently eating _God_ knows what, Dagger's passed out, you've thrown up… overall, I believe I'm the only one who kept my composure the whole time. That's a feather in my hat, I say."

Stating the last part rather proudly as Zidane knelt beside her and rolled his eyes, Freya smiled happily as Zidane scooped up Dagger, holding her in his arms as she remained blissfully unaware of the current situation.

"Yeah, alright… You might have scored points for 'composure', but Dagger saved our butts," he retorted, to which the Burmecian simply shrugged her shoulders. Zidane cleared his throat. "Anyways, I think we should-"

"Zidane! I learn new blue magic spell!"

Zidane quickly turned to Quina who was happily lumbering towards the group, a large and satisfied smile across his/her face. He raised a brow towards the Qu as painful visions of what he/she just ate flashed across his mind. Almost afraid of what the following question might entail, Zidane swallowed hard.

"Really? You learnt blue magic from _that?_" Zidane asked, darting to the remains of the Armstrong as he scoffed. "What the heck could you learn from tha-"

The horrid stench of rotting fish suddenly burned through Zidane's nostrils as he contorted his face. His eyes began to water as Quina closed the distance between him/herself and the group as Freya swiftly leapt upwards in panic, startled by an orange and blue blur whizzing past her. Rapidly taking hold of Garnet's dropped racquet and her own spear, the Burmecian pierced the air with laughter as she gave tenacious chase towards the 'blur', looking on happily as Zidane's boots almost grazed the back of his head.

"Zidane, Freya, wait! You run too fast, not see magic!"

Even with the extra weight of the princess in his arms, Zidane had never run faster in his life.

* * *

"I'm the real Zidane!"

"Oh my god, would you _SHUT UP!"_

Zidane slashed furiously towards… 'himself' as Quina, Freya and Garnet looked on in unrivalled confusion. As the two Zidane's locked themselves in combat, repeatedly connecting dagger strikes with each other, Zidane turned to the group.

"HEY! D'ya wanna maybe _attack the thing that summoned 'me'?!_" he called, managing to land a kick against his copy as it hurtled towards the ground, disappearing in a large puff of smoke.

"I'm the real Zidane!"

"_OH, COME ON!"_

Zidane whipped around as the Epitaph once again opened its doors, launching another carbon copy of Zidane from within its apparently endless catacombs. Just as the actual Zidane does, the copy emerged confidently with a charming smile and fancy twirling of its daggers. Freya shook herself into her senses, suddenly turning her attention to the Epitaph as Garnet launched a long distance strike with her racquet. Connecting with the large stone monument but managing to do little more than cause it to shake, Garnet suddenly lowered her weapon and ran towards Quina as the enemy opened its doors, revealing a copy of Garnet that elegantly leapt from the Epitaph with a flick of her long brown hair.

"I am Dagger!" cried her copy, filling the large room of the abandoned castle with Garnet's beautiful voice and causing Zidane to dart in astonishment towards the real Garnet..

"D-Dagger? _Dagger?!_ You can talk again?"

"I'm the real Zidane!"

Zidane cursed loudly as he was suddenly belted in the side with a strong kick, sending him flying towards a wall to which he met with crippling impact. Tumbling to the ground, he placed a hand to his sides as he breathed heavily, turning towards his copy who quickly jumped towards him, daggers pointed to kill. Leaving little time to think, Zidane quickly sheathed his daggers and pulled out his double-bladed thief sword, pushing himself to his feet and thrusting upwards for all he was worth. Thankfully, luck found the thief's side as his copy impaled itself onto his outstretched blade, quickly thereafter vanishing in a puff of smoke. Zidane corrected himself, keeping his blade held strongly behind his back while he dashed towards the group, catching a hi-potion that Garnet had launched toward him. Downing the bottle in next to no time, a tremendous surge of energy buzzed through Zidane as he carelessly threw the bottle to his side, forcing him to turn and lock eyes with Garnet as she smiled and waved at…

'_Wait, what?'_

"What the… Dagger?"

Zidane turned towards Quina, seeing Garnet attempting to wave him over imploringly, then turned to his left, seeing the… 'other' Garnet smiling and beckoning towards him. Zidane darted between both of them as Freya leapt into the air against her own copy, the two Dragoon Knight's flailing their spears wildly as loud 'clangs' rang through the air. A smile crept onto Zidane's face as he remained darting back and forth between the two princesses.

"… Am I in heaven?"

"_ZIDANE! _If you don't pull your stupid head out of your ass, _I'll send you to heaven myself!"_ cried Freya, turning in frustration to the thief after parrying a blow from her own clone. "THAT DAGGER IS A CLONE!"

"_Two_ Daggers?" Zidane retorted, darting to the Burmecian and then beaming towards the two princesses. "Hah! Well, whaddaya know? Dreams _DO_ come true!"

Zidane turned to Freya, watching her match her clone fiercely as the real Garnet dashed to Zidane's side, tugging at his arm. Garnet's copy began a slow and endearing walk towards the two, complete with full and sensual swaying of the hips as Quina began to jump up and down excitedly. Zidane turned to Garnet, taking her hand and dashing towards Quina with a lecherous smile on his face.

"Why can't _you_ walk like that, Dagger?" Zidane asked, turning to her clone as a look of pure astonishment and outrage spread across the real Garnet's face. Her beautiful brown eyes were suddenly shielded by angrily furrowed brows as the two made their way to Quina, stopping behind the Qu as Garnet mustered her most disapproving and virulent scowl.

_***SMACK!***_

"_Oww! _Wha' wuzzat for?"

Zidane placed a hand to his cheek and rubbed it fiercely, questioning eyes meeting an extremely irate glare. The furious gaze that bore towards him almost answered the thief's question as Garnet stomped a foot to the ground, causing Zidane to recoil in fear with a sheepish grin. A large aura suddenly emanated from beneath Quina as the two quickly darted to Garnet's copy. Much to Zidane's dismay, a large frog suddenly fell from a cloud that formed just below the roof, bee-lining straight for… 'Garnet.'

"No, no, no,_ no, no, NO, NO!_" Zidane cried, dropping his dual-bladed sword and clapping his hands over his head as Garnet's clone screamed loudly, turning towards the large frog above her. The slimy, warty giant swiftly met the floor, flattening the clone and dissipating the two in a cloud of smoke as Zidane's jaw dropped in utmost displeasure. He turned to the happily bobbing Qu, who was nothing short of utterly pleased with him/herself as Zidane threw his hands up in condemnation.

"Quina! What the hell?" he barked, pointing towards the scene as the real Garnet folded her arms and pursed her lips in irritation. Quina quickly turned to Zidane, rocking from side to side happily.

"Zidane! I help! Make bad Dagger go away!"

"There is _no such thing_ as a _bad Dagger!"_ Zidane retorted childishly, throwing his arms about in what could only be described as a teenage tantrum. "My dream is ruined!"

Freya's clone fell to the floor beside Quina as Freya impaled her spear on top of it, causing another small explosion of smoke as she swiftly collected her spear and promptly turned to Zidane.

"Zidane, God help me if you don't shut up and _start attacking_, I'm going to shove this spear up your-"

"I'm the real Zidane!"

Zidane whirled around to the Epitaph, watching as its doors slammed shut after producing yet another clone of himself. Quickly retrieving his sword and advancing threateningly, Zidane furiously bellowed towards 'himself'.

"For God's sake, _shut up!_ I never realised how _annoying_ I was until _you_ came along! _Shut_… _your… stupid… MOUTH!_"

Freya darted to the animated thief as he stomped his foot with every inflection of his previous sentence, shouting at his clone as it twirled its daggers and stood proudly. Taking in the sights with immense pleasure, the Dragoon Knight laughed loudly.

"Just think; we have to put up with that _all the time, _Zidane," she stated, resting her spear on her shoulder. Zidane reefed around to the Burmecian and pointed a threatening finger.

"Don't you start, _rat-face!_"

"I'm the real Z-"

"OH, FOR _FUCK SAKE!"_

Leaping furiously towards it, Zidane threw a fierce kick towards his copy, sending it flying back towards the stone monster that produced it. Zidane promptly dashed towards his clone, watching as it exploded into smoke upon impact and almost threw the Epitaph to the floor. Recovering momentarily, the Epitaph shook angrily as it dragged its bulky body toward Zidane, who suddenly found his movements unexplainably halted as he raised his sword to strike. As the Epitaph's eyes began to glow, Zidane felt an immense pressure befall him as his breathing became terribly laboured. Panicking and darting to his feet, fear consumed him as Zidane found that solid stone had encased his lower body up to his thighs, stirring a desperate escape attempt from the thief.

"WHOA! _WHAT THE HELL?!_ CAN SOMEBODY _-*WHEEZE!*- _THROW ME A FREAKIN' SOFT?!"

Freya turned quickly to the thief, reaching into her bag for treatments and rummaging around frantically as the stone casing began to rise to Zidane's waist. Quina suddenly jumped forwards, standing defensively in front of Freya and the Princess as Garnet, like Freya, quickly dug into her items, briskly procuring a 'Soft' and launching it vigorously towards the thief, completely unaware that Freya had already thrown one towards him.

"Thanks, Freya!" Zidane cried as the stone casing suddenly crumbled away, allowing Zidane to jump out of the way just before Garnet's Soft could make contact with him. Instead, the Soft continued through and collided with the Epitaph, exploding the bottle and covering the stony enemy with the contents. Zidane dashed to Quina's side as Freya did the same, each taking their fighting stance towards the Epitaph as Garnet poked her head cautiously over Zidane's shoulder.

"Stay back, Dagger! We'll handle this!" he said confidently, locking his gaze with the Epitaph as it began to shake. Not like it had before – this time, it almost shook as if it were in pain… or exerting an enormous amount of magic. Whatever was coming out of it this time was going to be big - what if it was Quina? Amarant? Steiner?

"Brace yourselves!" called Freya, taking to the defensive position as Zidane bared his teeth towards the Epitaph right before it suddenly ceased its violent quivering. Surprised, Freya corrected her posture, turning to Zidane as the two exchanged glances. Zidane watched in disbelief as a crunching sound was heard, watching large cracks pencil their way around the entirety of the enemy.

"You… can't be serious…?"

The Epitaph's doors suddenly began to deteriorate, crumbling away as its 'head' fell from its perch. The body swiftly followed suit, crumbling to dust as the party looked on dubiously.

"… a Soft."

Zidane began to chuckle as Freya bemusedly watched the subtle rising and falling of his shoulders. Quina bounded excitedly towards the remnants of the Epitaph, sniffing happily over the crumbled mess as Freya turned to the thief.

"Zidane?"

Zidane threw his sword to the floor with a loud clatter as Garnet jumped, drawing a hand to her mouth as she looked towards him. Quina quickly darted to Zidane before returning happily to stuffing his/her wide mouth with bits of Epitaph as Freya advanced towards Zidane, concerned and confused as his laughter suddenly stopped.

"Z-Zidane? Are you… are you alright?" asked Freya cautiously, leaning towards the thief and attempting to see his face. Zidane turned to Freya, a twitching smile on his face.

"… a Soft just killed an enemy."

Freya stared concernedly towards the youth before she turned to Garnet, shrugging her shoulders as the princess mimicked her actions before turning to Zidane, still partially upset at his suggestion for her to begin walking like a harlot. Quina jumped up, licking his/her wide lips as he/she made his/her way towards the group.

"Stone is delicious! Make fantastic rock-soup. Must tell master Quale!"

Zidane released an almighty yell, flailing clenched fists in every direction as his sanity once again wore thin.

"Kuja, you _prick!_ You couldn't come to a _fucking_ place where a _fucking _SOFT can kill your _FUCKING ENEMIES?!_ You PANSY PIECE OF SHIT! _I'm gonna shove the fuckin' Gulug Stone up your ass when I get back! D'ya hear me? SEE HOW FUCKING 'GULUG' IT FEELS THEN!_"

All eyes fell to the raging thief as he hopped about furiously, his tail zigzagging and twitching agitatedly behind him as he grumpily turned towards the group, collected his weapon and stormed off towards another chamber of the abandoned castle.

"… _Fucking Oeilvert…"_

Quina watched Zidane affectionately, quickly flailing his/her fork as he/she lumbered after the brooding thief.

"Zidane, you very angry! You need good meal! I _always_ happy when I eat good yummy-yummies!"

As Zidane stormed off in a huff with Quina fast in tow, Freya shrugged towards the princess, re-adjusting her spear and walking after him with a thoroughly amused smile across her face. Quickly scrambling to her side, Garnet turned forlornly to the giant stone doors the party had entered from, wishing they could all just run out the way they came. This place just… just felt so _dark_ to her, like somewhere she should _never_ step foot in…

"Dagger? Are you alright?"

Popping out of her thoughts and returning to the voice, Garnet quickly nodded to Freya with wide eyes, almost like Freya had woken her from an intensely realistic nightmare. Freya smiled warmly and returned the nod, beckoning Garnet towards the door that Zidane had opened with a loud 'clunk'. As Freya turned, Garnet looked around the room once more and then squinted passed the knight, making sure that Zidane was well out of eyeshot as she placed her left foot behind her right. With Freya's watchful eyes swayed for the moment, a cheeky grin found Garnet's lips as she took a few steps forward, suggestively flaunting her hips from side to side, just the way her clone had done only moments ago. A quick titter welled in her throat as she clapped a hand to her mouth. Such indecent actions, such _lewd_ movements – if the Nobles of Alexandria could see her now! Correcting her stance and tottering to Freya's side, a firm smile placed itself on Garnet's face as she darted to the distant form of Zidane, unable to continue her small grudge as she found herself promising to forgive his perverted advances just this once.

… just like _last_ time.

'_My goodness, what has that boy done to me?'_

* * *

Kuja, you're a little bitch. You can kill enemies with _items_ in Oeilvert. Pfft.

R 'n' R, good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	6. Drunken Lullabies

"And whaddaya want me tah do? Tell 'er how happeh I am 'bout it?"

"Better than sittin' down here and drinkin' yourself stupid, you moron."

In order to attempt to get him out of the dumps the only way he knew how, Blank had taken Zidane to Ruby's theatre for a… 'few' drinks, knowing that her door would, thankfully, always be open for the two boys. Ruby had opened a bottle of twelve year old whiskey for them and proceeded to pour glass after glass towards the two before Blank opted for a beer.

"_You're_ drinking myself stupid, _moron…_ _*hic!*_" drunkenly babbled Zidane, downing the remainder of his whiskey and crunching on a straying piece of ice. Blank raised a brow towards him.

"Wow…" he started, turning towards the bottle behind the bar as Ruby went about polishing the countertop, "I stopped at four. You've almost done a _litre_ of whiskey by yourself. Ease up, man, you aren't gonna be able to walk tomorrow-"

"I'm fine, _MUM!_" Zidane not-so-cleverly retorted, leaning forward and resting his head in his hand. "Besides, I don't need to _-*huc!*-_ walk! Where'ma gonna go t'morra? Might -_*belch!*_- go 'n' see Daggin… I mean Dra-Dragon… fuckin' _Dagger!_ Yeah, take Viv's and just walk into th' p'lace, _'Hey, Daggin! So happy yer Queen, I'll just -*HIC!*- leave forever now, bye!'_ Because _that's_ what'll happen, Blank! It's gon… gonna happen… she'll leave me…"

Zidane released a hefty sigh, forcing Blank to wonder whether it was due to sadness or sickness, before he flickered his eyes up towards him, eyeing Blank's headband and pointing clumsily.

"… how the heck d'you ev'n _see_ withat _thing_ on your head?"

Blank laughed, shaking his head as he took a mouthful of his drink.

"Aaaand we're back to my headband. I think you're done for tonight, bro-"

"_I know_ when I'm _-*BUUUURP!*-_ drunk enough, you… fuckin' snack… remote…"

Blank laughed and shook his head, replacing his mug on his coaster.

"A snack-remote? Did you even _hear_ what you just called me?" Blank asked as Zidane placed a hand on the table, warily making his way to his feet. "I'm gonna be scraping you off the floor tonight!"

Zidane stumbled from his stool, waving off Blank's comment and laughter with a drunken flailing of his arm. Staggering his way towards the bar, he smacked a hand loudly on the counter-top as he fell forwards, rousing another snicker from his old friend.

"My God, she musta been somethin'… I haven't seen you this upset since Baku gave you your first hiding," Blank stated, continuing to laugh through another heavy swig of his drink. Zidane threw him a filthy look, raising his middle finger toward him and teetering against the bar.

"Shaddup!" he cried, almost throwing himself to the floor as he turned to the beautiful woman behind the counter. "Ruby, another whiskey, no-*hic*-no ice, alright? Just straight… fuckin' straight whiskey…"

Ruby turned to the thief, adjusting her signature blue bow that kept her long silvery locks out of her face before tapping her fingernails thoughtfully on the almost-drained bottle. Watching as he half-collapsed onto the stool next to him, she shook her head and gingerly approached the young man, knowing full well where the night was headed.

"Are ya sure, honey? Maybe y'all should call it quits fer t'night, hmmm?" she said, filling the room with her heavy southern accent and placing a sympathetic hand over Zidane's. He shoved her hand away rudely, almost falling from his stool in the process.

"Maybe _you_ should -*burp*- call it quits _fer t'night!_" he stammered, pointing an accusing finger toward her and imitating her accent so atrociously that Blank's drink almost came out of his nose. "You're not my _mother_, are you!? _NO!_ You're _not!_ Neither is _Baku! No one is!_ Dagger's not my… I…"

An absolutely dejected look spread across Zidane's face as Ruby raised a brow, followed by an understanding sigh and folding of her arms. He suddenly slumped onto the counter, slamming his forehead against it and banging a fist repeatedly to the wooden surface. Glasses clinked loudly across the bar which Ruby promptly collected, taking them to the sink as Zidane rambled on, causing Blank to clap a hand over his own mouth.

"I don't even _have_ a _mother!_" Zidane exclaimed despairingly, rolling his forehead over the bar as he blubbered and wailed like an injured child, swaying dangerously. "Ruby, what's _wrong with me?_ Didn't she w-want me? I -*huc*- couldn'a been _that bad!_ _MAAAAAAAAM! Was I some kinda ASSHOLE? Maybe I wa- AH FUCK!_"

Blank all but lost it as Zidane succumbed to his perilous swaying, falling from his chair with an unholy clatter and bringing a dinner tray along with him. As Zidane exploded in another round of loud cursing, Blank sprayed what was left of his drink on the floor and barked laughter throughout the room, collapsing and repetitively punching a fist onto the stone floor as he buried his face in his free hand. Even Ruby failed to hold back a hefty bought of giggles as she pressed fingers to her blue-tinted lips, leaning over the counter to see the drunken mess. Unable to pull himself from the floor, Blank flipped himself over, pointing towards Zidane and spluttering loudly.

"HA-you, HAH! – Oh, God, I wish you could –_ha-ha!_- hear yourself, Zidane! AAHAH-_HAHAH!_! I- _*wheeze!*_ -think I'm gonna pee!"

"Not on my- _*cough!*_ -gosh-darn floor, yer not!" cried Ruby, barely able to supress her laughter as the definitive sound of boots clomping loudly against stone stairs filled the room. Darting upwards, Ruby almost burst out laughing with anticipation as the lights illuminated the large figure, grunting and slapping his sides.

"Well, well, well! What the heck's goin' on, kids?"

Blank whipped around, pointing hysterically at Baku before shouting loudly:

"LOOK, ZIDANE! _YOUR MAMMA'S HERE!"_

"_FUCK YOU!"_

One glimpse of Baku's bewildered face had Ruby collapsed behind the bar, unable to keep the strength in her legs as Blank began to choke, his boisterous laughter diminishing to hoarse wheezes. The infectious laughter had even begun to spread to Baku as Zidane grabbed at the counter top, desperately attempting to pull himself up. He turned to his 'father' who, deciding to catch himself up on the joke, approached and offered a hand to the stumbling blonde.

"Gwahahaha! You look like crap!"

With surprising dexterity for his state, Zidane launched himself viciously at Baku, swearing wildly before Baku resorted to an ages-old disciplinary technique that had been passed down in his family for generations - Baku quickly clasped a giant hand over Zidane's face, holding him at bay as Zidane flailed his fists wildly, punching at Baku's outstretched arm as the Tantalus leader laughed.

"Shut up, you giant_… SHIT!_ It's _all your fault! _You… _YOU'RE_ the one who… who looks like _SHITTY_ CRAP!" Zidane stammered, barely able to form a logical sentence, let alone land any of the punches he threw towards Baku. "If we hadn't stolen Dargen in the _first place!..._ I can't believe… _you_ brought… I! _I_ brought _you_ up like this! You, _me! ME!_ I don't have a mum, and _YOU'RE NOT IT! _SO _STOP ACTING LIKE IT, BLANKU!_"

Baku joined Blank and Ruby, bursting into a fit of wheezing, rambunctious laughter as he held Zidane's head within his giant fingers. Slapping a hand to his knee, he turned to Ruby who had only just managed to prop herself up from the bar, wiping small tears from her squinting eyes.

"Aye, Ruby! _*WHEEZE!*_ Gimme a pint of -HAH!-whatever _he's_ havin'! _Gwahahahaha!"_

* * *

"I really don't understand how I lost to you. You're pissed as a mute already and we've barely even started drinkin'."

"What are you talkin' about? I'm gonna… been drinkin' since… _-*hic!*-_ … tomorrow…"

After spending most of the night in tears, anger, laughter and half a gallon of water, Zidane's intoxication was finally starting to waver. That is, until Amarant had walked himself down the alleyway that housed Ruby's theatre, hoping for a bit of peace and quiet before hearing a familiar voice crying loudly about Baku being a terrible mother. A smile etched onto his face as he turned to the large wooden door.

'… _A quick beer or two couldn't hurt…'_

Upon entering, Amarant was greeted with a hefty 'Howdy, stranger!' from Ruby as everyone but Zidane gave a hearty wave. Quickly pulling up a stool, ordering a drink and joining in with the laughter, Amarant found himself oddly welcome within the small and rowdy group. Sharing stories with Baku and Blank while Zidane babbled on here and there was, although he'd never admit it, almost more enjoyable than his secluded moonlight walks. Figuring that it would have been as good a time as any to have a bit of interrogation time with the thief, Amarant took it upon himself to tell the others that he'd manage the sure-to-be entertaining task of getting Zidane home. Slapping some gil down and picking up a 'few' more drinks for the road, he took his leave with a fond send-off from Blank and Baku, even managing to receive a wave and playful wink from Ruby as he dragged Zidane and over ten gallons of beer bottles up the hefty stone steps. Ascending the ladder within the church down the alley from Ruby's theatre, the two found themselves atop various rooves of river-front houses with a small barrel of over forty bottles of beer. Thus, Zidane's sobriety was a fast forgotten memory.

"How the hell did I lose to you?" Amarant thought aloud, cracking another cap off of a bottle and taking a large swig. Zidane turned childishly towards the bounty hunter, blowing a raspberry and spilling some of his drink over the roof.

"Because _I don't care_, that's who!"

A nerve pinched in Amarant's head as he eyed the seated thief, swaying from side to side while his tail prominently fastened itself around another beer bottle.

"How the hell can someone not care about what makes them strong? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Amarant grunted in mild frustration. Zidane made no remark, simply shrugging his shoulders as he took a generous gulp of his drink. Amarant, not being one to easily drop a subject of his interest, refused to relent and continued to pry at the thief's drunken mind.

"Tch… you _really_ don't care about what makes you strong?" came Amarant's cold remark as he voiced his thought and lifted his bottle to his lips, draining the rest of its contents and lobbing it into the river with a small splash. Zidane turned to him with slightly slanted eyes.

"_Why_ do you care so much? I'm not your _Dagger…"_ Zidane began absent-mindedly, "… and if she's not mine… why would I care at all?"  
Zidane's responses were drunken and hardly comprehensible as he swiftly downed the remainder of his own drink, gently placing the empty bottle beside him and allowing it to roll noisily down the roof. Watching almost forlornly as the glass hit the edge of the roof, flipping over and out of sight before a hollow splash was heard, Zidane promptly used his tail to flick another bottle into his hand, holding it gingerly as though it might break in his grip. "You can't _steal_ strength, you can't _hold_ it or _love_ it - it's… fuckin' useless."

Amarant's crimson dreadlocks fell lazily over his shoulders as he turned a frustrated glare towards the thief, tightening his grip on his freshly-picked bottle and snorting.

"You think that strength is _useless?"_ he inquired venomously as Zidane shrugged, popping the lid off of his own bottle with one of his daggers.

"I don't think it is – I _know_ it's useless," he said, staring sadly towards the neck of his bottle as though it held a truth he just didn't want to hear, "… unless you're protecting someone with it."

'… _Protecting someone?'_

Dusty cobwebs suddenly blew from the very dark corners of Amarant Coral's mind. In those last few words, he had finally found the answer to the question that had caused him to join up with Zidane in the first place: _What makes him so strong?_  
Staring disbelievingly towards Zidane as the thief began to empty another bottle, Amarant found himself chuckling slightly, sounding more than pleased with himself as he popped the lid off yet another bottle. Zidane raised a brow, turning to the blue-skinned man with a prominent, albeit unintimidating, scowl.

"Wha's so funny?"

Amarant lifted his gaze to the thief, his piercing eyes shining from underneath his heavy mop of hair.

"Nothing, I just think that I finally figured out what makes you so strong."

Zidane sighed, finished off his beer as he allowed it to take the journey of its predecessor, ending in another hollow splash in the river.

"Yeah? And wha's that?"

Amarant scoffed.

"Thought you didn't care."

"Mebbe I don't."

"Then why do you wanna know?"

"Because I'm stronger 'n you."

"You think so, do ya?"

"I beat you, didnah?"

Amarant harrumphed, raising his bottle and draining it completely. Standing and taking a few steps forward, he eyed the moon as it glistened amongst the thick velvet blanket of the night sky.

"You beat me because you were _protecting_ someone."

Holding his bottle to his face, Amarant realised that he had only ever protected himself before. He fought for himself, looked out for himself, attacked _by_ himself…

"I knew a guy like that," Amarant began, keeping his bottle held tightly within his giant fingers. "Great fighter… used the claws, like me. I worked with him a lot, a few years, actually. Useless as a mercenary though - didn't have the heart to kill, but Christ, did he have the will to fight…"

Zidane blinked towards him, taking in his words as best he could as he took another helping of his drink.

"After a while, we became a 'team' of sorts. I helped him out, he helped me out, we both walked away with bigger pay-cheques at the end of it. Every time we sparred, though, I'd always lose. No matter what I tried. Every tactic was beaten; every blow was parried; every strategy rendered useless – the guy was a machine. Jayce, his name was. Taught me more about fighting and honour than anyone I can remember. Told me that his weapon – his claws – he used 'em to protect the people he actually gave a flyin' fuck about, so he'd never lose."

Amarant paused as he flipped his bottle in his hands, darting towards the moon as he folded his arms once again.

"I never understood it. I was always out for number one, 'cause I mean, come on – who are you gonna look out for more than yourself, right? Anyway, I was at least grateful for the help. Then, one day during a pretty nasty mission, we got sold out – too good for the job or some bullshit, but we knew the bounty's on our heads were just too fuckin' good to pass up. So these assholes lead us out to a cave just to the East of Treno, ready to cap us and leave us for dead. So, Jayce turns around and cracks the first guys arm in two, and that gets me outta trouble. Jayce followed with slamming his boot into the knee of the guy that was holdin' him - broke his elbow as well and then we hightailed it. Managed to make it as far as the forest, but then the reinforcements arrived. Two against nine – pretty fuckin' fair, right? Hah, but I was ready. I was fuckin' ready to cleave these cunts in half. I waited for them to get close. I could smell 'em, hear em… I was itchin' to get some fuckin payback… Then, outta nowhere, Jayce appears in front of me, gives me his set of claws, tells me to beat it and then bolts towards 'em. Ya fuckin' believe that?"

Amarant launched his bottle into the river, watching the arching motion as the bottle spun irregularly fast.

"Wasn't until after I watched him give 'imself to these fucks and got back at my boss for sellin' us out that I realised what he was thankin' me for," he said, watching the bottle slap loudly into the water. "Turns out he wanted to protect me by givin' me a chance to escape… and that was his way of thankin' me for savin' his life."

"… you saved his… his life?"

Amarant grunted bemusedly.

"At least you're listening, and yeah, I did... well, kinda. I got him work when no one else would take him on. Not much, but enough to get food on the table. A mercenary with a conscience isn't really that useful, ya know? So, he did the grunt work and I took out anyone that got in the way. Kinda like, he covered the entry while I made the escape. Except for that last time… he covered one escape, just _one…_ and I never saw him after that. But… now, I think I get why you beat me. It's the same reason that Jayce was always three steps ahead… and the reason that the dumb prick gave my sorry ass a chance to live… you both had someone you wanted to protect."

Zidane stared, dumfounded, towards the man as Amarant lowered his gaze to the river.

"If having someone to protect… someone _worth_ protecting really makes you so strong, then you're gonna be ahead of me for a while, kid…"

Zidane turned to the man, unsure of what to make of that comment… or what he was saying, to be perfectly honest.

"Whaddaya mean? I'm stronger 'cause I've… I've got _Dagger?_ She's _not_ leaving me?"

Amarant released an irate snort. He'd understood drunks to be single-minded, but this was ridiculous.

"Pfft, you're _stronger_ because you've got someone to _protect_… but honestly, I don't think our little soon-to-be Queen would be _able_ to leave you if she tried." Amarant hocked and spat loudly over the edge of the building, clearing his throat and shuffling. "Hah, guaranteed that if she was given the choice between you or Alexandria… God knows why, but she'd pick your sorry drunken ass."

A light suddenly lifted in Zidane's heart as Garnet flashed across his mind. Maybe he _was_ overreacting… maybe everything _would_ be great! Maybe she… maybe she _would_ stay with him! The heartfelt story of Amarant's past was a fast forgotten memory as images of white blouses and orange overalls raced around Zidane's head. Amarant folded his arms and groaned slightly.

"… Look, far be it from me to give a crap, but what the hell d'you see in her?"

"Whaddaya mean? Dagger's… she's beautiful…"

Amarant laughed and shook his head, returning to his seat by Zidane as he plucked another bottle from the barrel.

"Well, you're easy to please, aren't ya?" Amarant sneered, cracking the lid and taking another hefty swig of his drink. "Eh, I like it. Man after my own heart. As long as the looks and legs are up, ya can't really care for much else-"

"Hey! Don't talk about… Dagger that way…"

Amarant smirked – he found limitless pleasure in how easy it was to irk the thief.

"What? She's beautiful, air-headed… easy. Everything _you_ could possibly want-"

"No, she _isn't!_" Zidane snapped, throwing his own half-empty bottle out over the river with a loud grunt. "Dagger's _perfect!_ She's smart, shiz polite, sh's _gorgeous_, she… she c'n put up wi' me… she's… she's _worth _protecting…"

"She's _worth_ protecting?" Amarant paused, hoping that the answer would be worth the drunken drabble he had to endure. "And why's that?"

Zidane flipped another bottle into his hands as a smile crept onto his face. The memories of every moment he'd spent with the princess came flooding back to him as he released a longing sigh, remembering foremost the time they had to improvise during the final scene of Tantalus' play.

"… b'cause… she's my canary."

Amarant narrowed his eyes towards Zidane. He was never one for romance, poetic euphemism's or any of the like – he mentally scolded himself for expecting a proper answer, something to do with an honourable way of his lineage or his own personal virtues. He slapped a palm to his face as he shook his head.

"… I'm sitting next to a giant fairy."

"Pfft, you asked, dickhead."

Amarant rolled his eyes. Zidane was stronger than Amarant because he had someone to protect, and the thief had no idea why it made him any stronger. Downing yet another drink and standing as he made his way to the edge of the roof once again, a sudden smile tugged at the corner of Amarant's mouth as he found a way to prove his point, albeit nonsensically.

"Yeah, I'm sorry I did. Oh, and by the way-"

Amarant grunted as he tossed the bottle strongly, watching it soar far beyond the piers and boats as it met the surface of the water with a loud slap.

"-if _strength_ is so useless, then why doncha try to beat tha-_WHOA!_"

Narrowly avoiding a bottle to the head, Amarant followed its motion to the wide body of water before them. The bottle whistled as it spiralled downwards and, much to Amarant's surprise, easily claimed a further distance than his. Amarant turned to the thief as Zidane flipped another bottle into his hand.

"Blank 'n' I used to have bottle throwin' contests all th' time out the back o' th' ship. You're shit outta _-*hic!*-_ luck if you're challenging me to this."

Amarant found a certain glimmer of light welling within Zidane's gloomy visage as a confident smile crept onto his face. The bounty hunter smirked, walking over to the barrel and picking out a fresh bottle, cracking the lid off and draining the contents. Turning back towards the river, he pointed challengingly towards Zidane, throwing and catching his empty bottle with a confident grin to match the thief's.

"Come on then, thief - let's see how strong your _canary_ makes you! Farthest throw gets to pick the training grounds for the next month!"

"Yer on, ginger!"

Launching himself to his feet, Zidane downed his latest bottle, wiped his lips and then proceeded to launch his bottle spiralling into the river, managing to land itself even farther along than his last one.

"Whoa-hoh-hoh! Not holdin' back now, huh?" Amarant jibed, watching as Zidane turned towards the barrel for another bottle. "Well hold onto the lead while you can, monkey – my skill with throwing weapons can't be… _BEATEN!_"

Downing and launching bottle after bottle into the river that ran through the outer section of Alexandria, the two rivals found a rare moment of absurd friendship within the simple, age old practice of lobbing bottles. Every bottle seemed to travel further across the river than the last as Zidane became slightly more intoxicated.

"One hundred gil says you can't hit the other side of the river!"

"Make inna thousand, yer nah gon' beat me, pishaku!"

Amarant found himself slapping his knee, attempting to keep himself from keeling over at Zidane's blundering actions and incomprehensible words. Forgetting that Amarant was much older, stockier and could take _far_ more drinks than him, Zidane had unwisely matched him drink for drink, bottle for bottle and throw for throw. What annoyed Amarant the most, however, was that the more intoxicated Zidane became, the further his throws would carry.

"Hah! A thousand gil? You're on. Let's see it, pin-tail!"

Zidane clumsily stood, his sight extremely impaired as he firmly gripped his bottle for all he was worth.

"Say gu-bye t'yer gil, _BITCH!_"

Reaching back for the last time, Zidane launched the bottle over the river as the last thinning threads of consciousness wore away. Collapsing as Amarant burst out laughing once again, Zidane almost passed out star-fished across the roof as the bounty hunter followed the arching motion of his bottle until it eventually crashed loudly onto the rocks… over the other side of the river.

"Ah heard tha'…" Zidane muttered, half asleep and raising a lazy hand, "… ya… bedder… pay up…"

Amarant shook his head, partly in disbelief and partly out of amazement as Zidane's head fell sluggishly to one side along with his hand.

"You're a decent throw, but a pussy-ass drinkin' partner, you know that?"

As the man turned from the broken shards of glass to the far-from-the-living thief, a confronting realisation befell him. Amarant took a moment to himself – after all, the night had taken his routine 'alone time' from him – to undergo some much needed reminiscence, making his way to a seat next to the barrel higher up on the roof. Pondering over what had happened in the short time he'd spent with Zidane and his group, he found himself continuously wondering how they had gotten so far along. They were a bigger bunch of ragtag misfits than the orphans that ran around the slums in Treno - A tiny, impulsive young brat; a big, fat… _thing;_ some not-far-off-retirement Pluto Knight; a prim and proper airhead of a princess; a Burmecian rat-woman and a small and far-too-shy black mage… not forgetting the wasted thief beside him. With no other thought to turn to, he found himself contemplating what Zidane had divulged… the part he'd actually listened to, that is.

Was Zidane right? Did they really get this far just by _protecting_ each other? By looking out for one another?

Would having someone to protect_ really _make him stronger?

… would it be worth it?

Amarant scoffed, reprimanding himself for even _thinking_ about straying from his own path.

"Hmph. Yeah, right. Next thing you know, I'll sprout a fuckin' tail and start passing out on rooftops, whinging for my-"

Fondly remembering what he'd heard before he entered Ruby's Theatre, a familiar smile lined Amarant's jagged features as he lifted himself, downing another beer and promptly thrusting the bottle over the lake. Grunting in satisfaction and watching the bottle smash to pieces just shy of Zidane's, Amarant turned to the thief.

"Right. C'mon, fleabag," Amarant said, throwing the thief slackly over his shoulder as he lifted the remaining few bottles out of the barrel and booted it off the roof, "let's get you back to your _mum_."

Depositing the thief with Ruby after a quick apology and a lie that stated that all the inns around town were full, Amarant left Ruby's Theatre with another fond send-off and thank-you for returning Zidane to them. Upon walking out the door of the establishment, Amarant found himself quickly replaced on the roof, watching the moon irately and remembering why Zidane had beaten him. A quick puff on a large cigar held little comfort to the regrets of such a troubled man, one who wishes he could have at least said 'thanks'.

"… Jayce, you prick…"

* * *

The next chapter will have a chocobo in it. :D

R 'n' R, good writing to all!

**_LS._**


	7. To pitch a tent

"Ladies and gentlemen, the greatest treasure hunters on the Mist Continent present another hard day's work!"

"_Kweeeh!"_

The setting sun emblazoned a stunning crimson glow over the Mist Continent as Zidane performed an overtly showy front-flip from the back of Choco. Steiner, Vivi and Garnet had already begun setting up camp at the edge of a large forest as they awaited the return of the treasure hunting duo. Vivi quickly turned to them, jumping up excitedly and watching with eager eyes as Zidane and Choco made their way towards the group. Garnet soon followed suit, ghosting Vivi's path as Steiner harrumphed and rolled his eyes, returning to setting up the princess' tent alongside his own. Choco cooed beside the thief, clucking excitedly as Zidane produced a Gysahl Green from his pocket and lifted it to Choco's beak.

"Great work today, Choco!" Zidane exclaimed, running a hand across Choco's cerulean down as the bird quickly snapped up the small vegetable. Zidane reached for the treasure chest that was fastened against the bird's back, plucking it joyously from its perch and turning to meet anxious eyes.

"Wh-what did you find today, Zidane?" Vivi questioned, excitedly inching towards him as Zidane slammed the chest onto the ground. The young mage had taken a special interest in Zidane's treasure hunting escapades since he first heard of Choco and he _adored_ looking at the rare items that the pair would always return with. Zidane smiled confidently, flicking the lock on the chest open and rummaging through the contents with a thoughtful glint in his eye. Laying hold of the solid surprise, Zidane turned to Vivi with a second, somehow even wider, smile.

"Somethin' for my most _favourite_ little brother, that's what!" he stated, pulling out a majestic staff and reaching it over to Vivi as the black mage squeaked happily, darting from the staff to Zidane.

"F-for me? R-really?" Vivi stammered, eyeing the intricate detail of the grand, wooden staff. Zidane laughed, waving the staff towards him anxiously.

"Well, I didn't say it just for the fun of it, now did I? Go on, Viv's, it's all yours!"

Vivi's bright yellow eyes formed into lopsided crescent moons – an easily identifiable trait of pure euphoria for the mage – as he gently took the staff from Zidane's hands, clutching it to his tiny frame as though it was the most incredible gift he'd ever received.

"W-wow! Th-thanks, Zidane! I hope you didn't go through too much t- trouble…"

Zidane raised a hand to the small mage, shaking his head and giving a reassuring smile.

"Hah, no trouble at all, Vivi! What else are big brothers for?"

Vivi jumped happily as he turned to Garnet and Steiner, joyously waving about and pointing to his new staff. Even though they couldn't discern his mouth, somehow, they knew the young mage held a prominent grin. Garnet walked towards Vivi, smiling sweetly and kneeling beside him as he held the staff proudly towards her. She gently took it from him, tracing her hands tenderly along the smooth finish of the oak-wood staff.

"This… this is a beautiful staff, Zidane…" she stated, noting the design, the twin-spiked feature at the head of the staff and the powerful magic emanating from within its wooden confines, "… where on Gaia did you find it?"

"Well, Choco's the one who did most of the 'finding'," he stated, motioning towards Choco who clucked appreciatively, "but I find stuff like this all the time! You just have to know where to look."

As Zidane finished with a playful wink, Garnet couldn't help but once again succumb ever-so-slightly to his charms – not his flirtatious advances, but his genuinely selfless nature. She returned the staff to Vivi, smiling as the young mage reclaimed his gift and scurried away towards his tent. Surely, Zidane couldn't have been the thief that Steiner continuously accused him of being – a common thief would have hoarded such goods and sold them at the closest opportunity! Zidane Tribal may have thieved before, and admittedly he had, in some way, been responsible for the princess' 'capture'… but Garnet was adamant; there wasn't _one _crooked bone in his body.

Garnet smiled as Vivi turned to Steiner, showing off the staff to the Captain as he'd just done to her. Zidane folded his arms, smiling happily as he grinned towards Vivi.  
_'Zidane… I think he just loves bringing happiness to others…'_ Garnet thought, touching gentle fingers to her lips as she focused a newfound attention on Choco. The princess had only ever seen Chocobo's from a distance before she'd fled Alexandria. She'd never ridden one before in her life, but goodness knows she wanted dearly to try. The idea, as un-ladylike as it seemed, had always intrigued her, driving her to study relentlessly on how to ride one even though she was never given the chance. However, now… an opportunity presented itself and it did so rather eloquently, but before she drifted too far into her thoughts, Zidane pulled something from the grounded chest and caught Garnet's eyes.

"… and this is for you, Dagger," he stated proudly, holding a flowing, white robe towards the princess as her eyes widened, gasping and drawing a hand to her mouth.

"Th… that's for me?" she asked, tracing the elegant robe with her eyes as Zidane nodded happily.

"Yeah, it's not really my colour, you know?"

Garnet giggled as she shook her head, admiring the complicated detail of the blending reds and whites – colours akin to the cloak she wore when escaping the castle. It was a wonderful gift that any girl would have felt undeniably giddy to receive, but she couldn't keep taking advantage of Zidane's generous nature. She turned to him gracefully.

"Zidane, I really can't accept that. You've already done so much for me and I've nothing to give you in return-"

"Good thing it's free then, huh? C'mon, it's _yours – _a beautiful robe for a beautiful princess, right?"

Garnet found herself blushing as she shook her head once again. Zidane gently shook the robe before her, tempting her towards him as he slapped a sly smile across his face. Just as the princess reached for the robe, Zidane withdrew his arm, leaving the princess thoroughly confused – he'd just offered it to her, but now he refused to let her hold it?

"Of course, even though it's free, a _little_ payment wouldn't go astray?" he mused, shifting his eyes suggestively as Garnet raised her brows. Clearly showing that she far from understood what he meant, Zidane cleared his throat and reiterated, attempting another approach at a 'reward'.

"… _*ahem*,_ I had to look _really _hard to find this one, Dagger…"

Zidane turned so that his cheek faced Garnet, standing only a few feet from her as she finally realised what he was after. After a quick internal reprimanding of his scandalous advancing, she decided to test the depth of her acting skills and stepped towards him, innocently darting from his eyes to his lips as Zidane fumbled anxiously.

"I see, Zidane… it must have been quite… strenuous for you, working _so hard_ to retrieve such a beautiful robe for me…"

A definitive smile spread across his face as Zidane's grip on the robe slackened – could it be? He'd _finally_ get his reward; a _kiss_ from the princess!? He knew it could happen; that it _would_ work - he just had to play his cards right!

"Well, it _was_…" he started, giving a relaxed shrug as she neared him. "I mean, all I wanted was to see that pretty smile on your face when I got back, you know…"

Garnet blushed, feeling a heat bubbling in her stomach and rising to her cheeks as she came to a standstill barely inches from Zidane's face. The thief hummed anxiously as butterflies exploded from within him, fluttering through his head as he closed his eyes, leaning towards the princess as a weight suddenly lifted from his hands.

"You mean this smile, Zidane?"

Quickly opening his eyes, Zidane met the pretty smile that he'd asked for – only much further away than he remembered. Stepping forward to catch himself, Zidane slapped a puzzled frown upon his face as he traced the features of Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, _his_ robe lavished over her raised arm. Quickly adding two and two, Zidane narrowed his eyes, folding his arms and pursing his lips – out of _all_ people, the princess had pulled a fast one over him!As Zidane continued his internal tantrum, Garnet mustered her most adorable smile, locking her hands before herself and tilting her head to the side. As upset as Zidane was, it only took a brief moment in Garnet's eyes to will away his cold glare as he eased into a reluctantly beaten smirk.

"… cheap shot, Dagger. Cheap shot."

Garnet poked a tongue towards Zidane, allowing herself one small moment of undignified girlish glee as she giggled towards the thief.

"Maybe next time," she stated as Zidane pointed an authoritative finger.

"I'll hold you to it."

Garnet fluffed out the robe, admiring its majestic design as she ran a hand over the material. It certainly _was_ beautiful, almost matching the softness and class of the clothing she would wear in Alexandria. Glancing once more towards the soft red finish along the hem of the garment, Garnet whipped it on in one quick motion as Vivi quickly scurried to her side, staff still firmly in hand. The princess felt a protective aura swirl around her, almost as though the robe imbued her with magical power as goose-bumps trailed up the back of her covered arms. Giving a quick twirl and purposefully flaring out the robe, Vivi jumped happily up to Garnet as he 'oooed' in delight.

"Wow, th-that's beautiful, Dagger! I've never seen you wear that b-before. Whoever gave you that robe must r-really like you a lot…"

As Garnet found herself with a faded smile and newly-red cheeks, she turned to Zidane who, never one to be caught out, quickly ducked behind the lid of the chest and furiously attempted to wipe away the redness quickly surfacing in his own cheeks. Garnet found a smile creep into her face as she knelt down to Vivi.

"You know what, Vivi? I have a feeling you're right," she whispered to the mage as she pointed to Zidane through the treasure chest. Vivi followed her direction, looking towards Zidane's sporadically jittering tail as an excited giggle left his tiny form. Loudly clearing his throat and popping his head back up quickly, Zidane looked towards Garnet just in time to catch her posing elegantly. A smile crept onto his face – he might not have gotten his 'reward', but seeing the robe on her was almost reward enough.

… almost.

"So, whaddaya think? Not bad, eh?"

Garnet ran her hands along the long lining of the robe, falling deeper into its comforting confines with every passing second. With a smile of absolute euphoria, she met Zidane's eyes.

"… It's… it's _gorgeous, _Zidane! It's… just wonderful, thank you!"

Zidane wiped a finger across his nose, sniffing proudly as he placed his hands on his hips.

"Heheh! Like I said - all in a day's work for such a fine treasure hunter!"

_***Clank!***_

"I'd say the title of 'thief' fits the boot a little better!" Steiner exclaimed, breaking his silence and rushing over from the freshly pitched tents, glancing over the spoils that Zidane had returned to the group. "Treasure hunter, pah! You've clearly robbed a merchant blind, and _how dare you _attempt to woo her highness over by presenting her with this… this… _tacky _garment!"

Zidane raised a brow as a dumbfounded stare beamed from the princess, resting upon the steadfast cheekbones of her bodyguard who held an appalled finger towards the red and white robe. Garnet found her voice as Steiner set out to continue his ranting.

"S-Steiner, it's not tacky at all! It's quite lovely, actually-"

"And _stolen,_ no doubt!" the Captain cut in, turning to Garnet with pleading eyes. "Princess, please don't be naïve! It was _he_ who kidnapped you in the very beginning – this upstart is the _reason_ that we find ourselves entangled in this ridiculous escapade!"

Returning to Zidane as Garnet also darted to the thief, Steiner made well with continuing his scolding, even though Zidane had yet to voice a defence of any sort against his words.

"I've a good mind to confiscate your stolen '_spoils' _and dispose of them myself! Who did you steal this fro-_WH-WHAT THE DEVIL?!_"

Steiner's outburst was interrupted momentarily as he darted sceptic eyes towards Choco, immediately taken aback at his azure exterior which remained unnoticed, until now. Meeting anything but the standard canary yellow that the captain had seen on every Chocobo prior, he furrowed his brows and turned furiously towards Zidane, an explosive rage just waiting to erupt from his mouth.

"_WHAT ON GAIA'S NAME HAVE YOU DONE TO THIS ANIMAL?!_" Steiner bellowed, pointing furiously as even Vivi winced and recoiled to Garnet's side. "I _demand_ to know what intolerable cruelty you have forced upon this poor creature! Chocobo's are yellow, _canary yellow!_ You've managed to treat him so poorly that his coat has… has… for God's sake, _IT'S BLUE!_ Have you drugged him? _Poisoned _him? Dyed the plumes yourself? Answer me, thief!"

"Hey, hey, hey! You watch your mouth, Rusty!" Zidane protested, running a hand over Choco's neck. "Honestly, just because he's a bit more colourful than the other chocobo's doesn't mean he's on drugs! The only reason he's… ugh, y'know what? I'm not even gonna tell you how he became blue - you wouldn't even believe me if I did! _AND,_ for _your information_-"

Zidane turned the chest and its remaining contents towards Steiner, pointing obstinately towards it.

"_-these_ are nothing more than sto-ah, _buried _goods that Choco and I just so happened to recover! Choco can vouch for me. Right, boy?"

"_Kweeeh!"_

Zidane motioned to a small dent in the wooden curves atop the treasure chest, tapping the hole and pointing to Choco's beak as the bird rounded to Zidane's side.

"Ya see this dent, right here? _That's_ where Choco's beak hit the chest, because he was _digging._ That's what we do – we find _buried_ treasure, and _buried _treasure just so happens to be exactly that… _buried!_ I _found_ all this stuff - it's _useful -_ so there's no need to throw a tantrum and chuck it all out! I mean c'mon, Rusty-"

Rapidly finding a scapegoat in the form of his 'younger brother', Zidane quickly placed a hand on Vivi's shoulders, whipping the small boy around to face Steiner, still joyously clutching his new staff as his crescent-moon-shaped eyes held only prominent happiness.

"-do you _really_ want to take away the smile from such an adorable face?"

Steiner's blank expression remained thoroughly void of amusement as he darted from Zidane to the young black mage, pinching his eyebrows and returning to the thief with a grunt.

"It is impossible to discern the lad's mouth, you imbecile! How do you even know he's smiling?" Steiner retorted, motioning towards Vivi as the mage's eyes 'opened' to their full-moon yellow. "I'd care to wager that he's simply too scared to refuse your troublesome offer, merely because he doesn't-"

"U-ummm… M-Mister Steiner?"

The small voice collectively gathered every eye of the group as Vivi swiftly pulled his hat southward, almost enveloping his head as he spoke.

"I… ummm… I-I really _do_ like the staff, a-and I could r-really use it. I trust Zidane… h-he wouldn't steal something l-like this from someone, especially not something as pretty as wh-what he's given D-Dagger…"

Although his speech was muffled, Vivi's words thankfully seemed to rob Steiner of the will to continue his tirade as Zidane folded his arms, turning expectantly towards the knight. Steiner grimaced, returning Zidane's gaze with utmost contempt.

"If you're looking for an apology, you won't find one here," he snapped, motioning to Vivi and Garnet. "You may have bribed trust from the others, but the trust of Captain Adelbert Steiner shall _not_ be claimed so easily!"

"Yeah, whatever, Rusty."

Having had enough of Steiner's unchanging views, Zidane waved off the knight's comment as he made his way towards the travel bag placed prominently beside Vivi's as Steiner gritted his teeth in aggravation. Quickly taking one more Gysahl Green from his pocket, Zidane launched it towards Choco.

"Time to call it quits, Choco! We'll go hunting again tomorrow!"

"_Kweeeh!"_

Choco happily snapped up the flying green before circling around and lowering himself to the ground. Clucking appreciatively and tucking his head under his wing, Choco soon fell into a fast slumber as Zidane returned to the bags. Inadvertently eyeing the three tents side by side, Zidane turned towards Steiner with a look of annoyance and suddenly folded arms.

"Couldn't even put up a tent for me while I was gone, eh?"

Steiner glowered at the thief, clenching his fists by his side as he stood tall.

"I'm sure if you're capable of… _relieving_ such spoils as what you've returned to us, you're more than capable of pitching your _own_ tent."

Zidane rolled his eyes as he gathered the materials for his own tent, working rather quickly to construct his sleeping quarters as he soon found himself ready to nail in the spokes.

"Well, well. Didn't take you long to pitch a tent, did it now?" Steiner spat towards Zidane. The thief turned towards the knight, just about to let loose as something crossed his mind – Steiner was surely too well-spoken to be familiar with the more derogatory use of the phrase 'pitching a tent'… and that would suffice as a _little_ payback.

"No, not at all, _Captain,_" Zidane replied, nailing in his spokes as Steiner recoiled slightly. "And seeing as how surprised you are at how quick I work, I suppose _you_ weren't the one who built these, then?"

Steiner's glower returned as he pointed towards the tents.

"Why, has your daft perception no end!? Take a look at the blasted things! Do you see anyone else here that could have constructed-"

"Do you even know how to _pitch a tent_, Rusty?" smirked Zidane, only too happy to know where the conversation would soon be going. "I mean, it's ok if you don't. Nothin' to be ashamed of, y'know, just I've been doin' it for, oh, eight, nine years, now? No biggie."

Steiner looked absolutely gobsmacked as he readied himself to reprimand Zidane, shocked that the thief could think so lowly of the esteemed service of the Pluto Knights.

"I'll have you know that it is a necessary part of one's training before becoming a certified Pluto Knight to become adequately skilled in outdoor survival!" Steiner protested, pointing defensively towards his and Garnet's tents. "I've pitched hundreds - if not _thousands -_ of tents and I'm sure to pitch a thousand more before the afterlife claims my leave!"

A wide smile crept along Zidane's face as he busied himself with another spoke, completing the finishing touches to his tent as Steiner began to fall right into his linguistic trap.

"That's alotta pitched tents, Rusty… your lady friends must be _very_ pleased."

Steiner harrumphed.

"I'm certain that I don't know what you're talking about."

Zidane shrugged, turning to Steiner, spoke in hand.

"The ladies love a… _handy_ man, right?" he mused, wondering if Steiner could have picked up on _that._ Clearly not.

"You'd do well to listen, you rapscallion! I am a Captain of the Pluto Knights of Alexandria, and as such, I have a plethora of skills at my disposal! However, I'd never stoop so low as to engage in trivial displays of my abilities to win over the affections of a woman, unlike yourself!"

"But surely, should a lady ever inquire_,_ you could say that your tent-pitching skills are unmatched?"

Steiner raised a brow, unable to comprehend the thief's bizarre questions.

"… Indeed, I could hold fast to such allegations… what are you playing at?"

Zidane snickered – the anticipation was just cruel.

"So, I daresay the tent you've pitched for yourself is… a pretty _hardy_ tent, wouldn't you say?" he questioned, pursing his lips as Steiner confidently pointed to his own tent.

"Before you stands a pitched tent that is leaps and bounds beyond the strength of yours, I assure you! _Guaranteed_ to hold strong for at least a fortnight!"

Zidane snickered again – his insides burning from withholding his laughter.

"A _whole_ fortnight, huh? That's _-*hah!*-_ a pretty _long_ time," he said, choking laughs through his words as he pointed to Garnet's tent. "And what about Dagger's tent, Rusty? I'm sure you've _-*mph!*-_ pitched an _even stronger_ tent for the princess, -*_pfft!*_-am I right?"

Steiner looked well pleased with himself as he folded his arms, grinning proudly and completely oblivious of the double entendre that he was ever-so-willingly agreeing with.

"The tent I've pitched for the princess is the strongest, most sizeable _and_ most durable tent I've ever pitched – nothing put _absolute_ comfort and pleasure awaits her highness tonight!"

Zidane snorted, slapping a hand over his mouth as he crouched over, dropping the spoke he'd been holding beside his own tent. Steiner's confident grin vanished into a frown of confusion as Zidane turned to him with watery eyes.

"HAH! A-hah-and _-*wheeze!* -_ it's b-built to _-*snort!*-_ last?"

Steiner clenched his fists as his patience once again wore thin, shouting loudly as Garnet and Vivi darted between Zidane and Steiner.

"_THE TENT THAT I'VE PITCHED FOR THE PRINCESS WILL LAST UNTIL THE DAY I DIE, YOU INCOMPETENT BUFFOON!"_ he bellowed, as cogs in the princess' mind began to turn, leading her to an unfortunate realisation involving the current conversation. "As monument to that fact, I shall NOT pack it away in the morning and, after you've served your _life sentence_, you and I shall return to this very spot and I will _prove_ that Captain Adelbert Steiner's tent remains pitched for all to see!"

As Zidane continued a heavy bought of laughing, Garnet's young and suddenly not-so-innocent mind quickly grasped the entire concept of a 'pitched tent'. A feverish blush cloaked her cheeks as she darted to Steiner, horrified at how deplorable a simple phrase could become!

"S-Steiner, I think we… w-we should stop talking about 'tents' _this instant!_"

Princess Garnet shrieked towards Steiner as she practically began to glow a luminescent shade of crimson. Zidane doubled over, holding his stomach and releasing a series of hoarse coughs as an unfortunate realisation (finally) befell Steiner as well, rousing a very slow and exaggerated gasp from the Captain. Garnet drew her hands to her face as her eyes widened – something that Steiner quickly picked up on.

"P-P-Princess! A-Are you alright!?" Steiner shrieked, rushing to Garnet's side as he placed a hand to her forehead. "Oh, no! I was too loud, wasn't I? No? Have you been caused discomfort by this _horrible_ garment? No!? Are you… _Are you coming down with a fever!?_ Dash it all, _of course you are!_ How could I so _foolishly_ neglect my duties!? You've been without fresh water for most of the day! _I-I shall return momentarily!_"

Before Garnet had a chance to protest, Steiner had bolted into his tent to retrieve goodness knows what as a series of clanking and cluttering was heard. Zidane looked on in amusement as he propped himself up, watching Steiner scramble out of his tent and towards the forest before halting his movements and whirling to Zidane.

"And _you!"_ he bellowed, pointing a threatening finger towards the thief. "I'll deal with you when I get back, you… you _filth monger!_"

Zidane chuckled happily, waving as Steiner retracted his finger and disappeared into the forest towards a nearby stream. Garnet stared after her bodyguard, suddenly finding herself exceedingly tired… or so she wanted to believe.

"I… I think I'm going to… I might just try to get some rest, now," she mindlessly babbled, her mind currently too frazzled to form proper sentences as she turned to the beaming Zidane. "Zidane, thank you for the tent, it's lo- oh, wait! I mean, robe! Thank you for the _robe…_ Ummm… Alright, could you pitch my tent for-_NO!_ Oh, _goodness! _I mean, I'd like to _see_ your tent-AH, NO! I mean, ummm… I… you, _ME… Your… WE'RE_… G-Good Grief!_ S-STOP PITCHING TENTS FOR ME!"_

Zidane struggled to withhold his laughter once again as Vivi struggled to understand what the big deal about tents was. Garnet trembled, clenching her fists as she closed her eyes and orchestrated a signature stomp of her foot.

"I'm_… I-I'M GOING TO BED!_"

Garnet stormed into her tent, her usually delicate air fast forgotten. A contented smile tugged at the corner of his lips as Zidane quickly looped the last spoke through its respective hole, slamming it into the ground and completing his tent as Vivi slowly approached him.

"Ummm… Zidane?"

Zidane spun around, catching Vivi's gaze as he adjusted his hat slightly.

"What's up?" Zidane asked, grabbing at his dagger and hammering the spoke with the butt-end.

"Wh-why were Steiner a-and the princess so upset about… pitching tents?"

Zidane looked towards Garnet's tent as a distant splash and gurgling yelp was heard. A highly satisfied grin crossed Zidane's features as he withdrew his weapon and stood, placing a warm hand against Vivi's shoulder and walking the youth to his own tent.

"I'll tell you when you're older, Viv's."

* * *

I'd just like to take this time to give a huge thank-you to all of those who left reviews (especially Bobby Corwen - this one and the next 'Choco-chapter' are for you!) and to everyone who reads my stories! Seriously, you guys _rock!_

And to answer a question that got put in one review – Yes, I'm more than open to suggestions! I have a few ideas in mind that should span the next few chapters, but I'm _always_ open to what my readers' desire. So if you have any ideas or things that you'd like to see in upcoming chapters, either leave a review or PM me. I won't promise to be able to include _every _idea that's put forth, but I'd certainly love more options and concepts to choose from!

Good writing to all, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

_**LS.**_


	8. Befitting a Queen

**Author's note: This chapter is FREAKIN' long, so I apologise! Just wanted to make sure that you all have a little bit more to read, because I'll be gone for a couple of weeks. Got my sister's wedding to go to, so y'know – can't be helped. Anyways, to the chapter: I brought Freya along again, because she's a gem. Also, Zidane and Dagger/Garnet cuteness! Happens just after the party gets to The Outer Continent, before Conde Petie and the Black Mage Village :D**

* * *

"Goddamnit greenie_, stand still!_"

The Cactuar evaded Zidane yet again as he lunged for it, forming into a green blur as it once again darted around the thief, wearing down his already waning energy. Mistaking the protruding head of the Cactuar for some kind of fruit, Zidane had attempted to harvest the green mound as it remained buried within the desert sand. Upon making contact, however, Zidane found himself desperately bolting away from the suddenly unearthed enemy, taking several jabs in his backside before reaching for his daggers. Attempting any sort of counterattack proved fruitless; the Cactuar was far too fast for Zidane to land a decent hit. Garnet, Vivi, Quina and Freya had scarce more luck in landing a blow on the Cactuar – even Garnet's returned summoning skills proved ill-effective against the nimble foe. The Cactuar halted before Zidane, alternating its arms and legs in some kind of patronizing dance as the thief grumbled, trying to find the energy to compete with its ridiculous speed. Freya, taking advantage of the quilled vegetable's distracted attention, lunged towards the contorting enemy.

"Die, you _pest!"_ she cried as she drove her spear downwards and into the green husk of the Cactuar… or so she thought. Watching the diminutive enemy quickly leap over her attack, Freya in turn proceeded to pierce the hardened dirt of the desert as the Cactuar landed gleefully atop her grounded weapon, continuing its condescending movements. With little more than a loud squeak, it threw itself towards the Burmecian, slamming into her and knocking her to the ground with muffled thump. Vivi saw a chance, quickly mustering up his magic.

"Fira!"

The Cactuar quickly scurried away as Vivi's attack exploded just shy of Freya's position, causing Freya to lunge backwards and away from the spiralling flames as the Cactuar imitated a sound akin to high-pitched laughter. Vivi squeaked loudly as he rushed to Freya's side, flailing about like a one-winged butterfly as the Burmecian found her way to her feet.

"S-sorry, Freya! I-I didn't hit you, d-did I!?" he blurted out, quickly checking her as the Cactuar continued its ridiculous squeals. Freya re-equipped herself, reassuring Vivi of her safety as Zidane pounded his fist against the ground, wearily standing as Garnet rushed to his side.

"Cura!"

A swirling green aura encircled Zidane as he found his energy replenished. With a confident grin and swift re-equipping of his daggers, he thanked Garnet and launched himself towards the spiny foe. Giving very close chase and following the erratic movements of the Cactuar, Zidane swiped repeatedly towards it with each attempt repeatedly avoided. Freya desperately attempted to follow, failing repeatedly to keep a good line of sight. Zidane continued with the Cactuar's movements as it circled around and headed back towards the group, managing to dodge a quick swipe from Freya and avoid a spear tackle from Zidane. Quina lumbered forward as Vivi and Garnet dashed along, both wondering as to what point this escapade would serve.

"Zidane! Can't we just leave the poor thing alone? We _really_ should be carrying on-"

"Not gonna happen, Dagger!" Zidane interrupted after quickly correcting himself and swiftly gaining on the Cactuar once more. "_No one_ pokes Zidane Tribal in the butt and lives to tell the tale!"

Throwing himself forward as he neared the Cactuar, Zidane performed a sliding kick that caught the very edge of its body, knocking the enemy off balance and into a series of squeals and tumbles.

"_Squip! Oop! Whook Whook! Gup! Piw! Weeooowww…"_

Looking less-than-content as it continued to somersault over and over, the Cactuar released one last squeal as it came to an abrupt halt before a familiar white apron. The Cactuar had very little time to react before an uncomfortably loud sniffing was heard, followed by eagerly widened eyes.

"Ooh! Spiny pickle smell delicious!"

Quina found him/herself (as usual) bereft of any feeling other than hunger as he/she swiftly equipped his/her fork, staring threateningly towards the now quivering green enemy. A quick jab had the wailing Cactuar skewered upon the Qu's weapon as Zidane gloomily realised what would follow. Quina lifted the enemy to his/her mouth as its tiny limbs flailed in panic, chirping and squealing in what could only be viewed as a desperate cry for mercy – a cry all but disregarded by impossibly hungry ears.

"No, no, no! Quina, don't-!"

_***Crunch!***_

Quina paid no heed to Zidane's words as the Qu enveloped the screaming cactus, chomping loudly as Zidane winced with every subsequent munch.

"O-oh, _god… _that thing was freakin' _alive, Quina!_" Zidane said, disgusted and, at the same time, greatly concerned about the safety of his teammate. Part of him didn't know whether or not the Qu, no matter how durable his/her stomach (or _mouth_) was, would survive eating such a thorny morsel. Garnet, Vivi and Freya consecutively dropped their weapons dubiously as Quina jumped about, sniffing in every direction.

"This place wonderful! Many more yummy-yummies than other continent. Must bring Master Quale here to…"

A terrible feeling cloaked Zidane as Quina suddenly fell silent. The Qu ceased his/her sniffing and froze, staring wide-eyed towards a distant mountain range. Zidane shook slightly as he watched a painful red envelop Quina's pale face – this was the first time he'd ever seen the Qu covet a colour other than white! He gingerly approached as Quina began to tremble, a deep burbling sounding from… somewhere inside him/her.

"Uh… Quina? Are you o-_WHOA-OLY SHIT!"_

Zidane yelped loudly, recoiling and looking on in absolute astonishment (and equally, disbelief) as hundreds of tiny, green quills suddenly poked through Quina's form, turning the Qu into a giant proverbial pin cushion. Quina trembled only for a moment before a thoroughly shaken Zidane cautiously continued his approach.

"Q-Quina… oh boy, a-are you ok?" he asked, wondering if the Qu hadn't suddenly perished and just failed to fall over. His ponderings were banished, however, as soon as the spiked Qu jumped happily and turned towards Zidane.

"Zidane! I learn blue magic from spiny pickle!"

A look of utter shock fell upon Zidane's face as Quina bounded happily towards him, stopping just a few feet short as he/she smiled wide.

"… it… looks painful… are you _sure_ you're alright, Quina?" he asked nervously, struggling to see how the Qu could still be alive. Quina sniffed loudly in response.

"I no feel bad, Zidane! -_*sniff*-_ Found new munchies and magic to… ooo, desert very dusty…"

Zidane furrowed his brows at the statement. Looking towards the bewildered faces of Freya, Garnet and Vivi, Zidane shrugged uncaringly as he returned to the virulently snuffling Qu.

"Ummm… yeah, it's a desert, Quina. It's gonna have loads of…"

Zidane's eyes jutted open as Quina suddenly began inhaling more and more air with every sniff.

"Q-Quina? Are you about to sneeze?"

(_Very_ _good,_ Zidane! Now, let's put two and two together, hmmm?)

"W-Wait! What happens to those needles wh-when you-!"

"For God's sake, Zidane! _RUN!"_

Freya's warning did not go unheard as Zidane became a blur, running towards the group who, in turn, dashed away from him and the alarmingly expanding Qu. The spines covering Quina's body began to push themselves out of their pale confines, jetting away in random directions as the Qu took the dreaded 'preluding breath'.

"Ah, Ah! _AAHHHH-"_

Zidane's legs burned in pain as he desperately scrambled towards Freya, Vivi and Garnet, all of whom were still a hefty distance ahead.

"_No, no, no, NO! GUYS, C'MON! DON'T LEAVE ME A-"_

"_**-CHOOOOO!"**_

A piercing scream held assurance to one flat fact - it would be a long, _long_ time before Zidane would want to see another blue magic spell… or anything resembling a needle.

* * *

After taking refuge at the foot of a large stretch of woodlands (and a loquacious removal of quills from a certain thief), the group had already begun falling into a restful slumber as the peaceful navy blue of the night sky placed eloquent dreams into those of the Outer Continent.

… Except for one.

Tucking her knees into her chest and folding her arms over them, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros sullenly placed her head over her arms as she darted to the dancing embers of the campfire. The princess had found a cherished pastime in spending sleepless nights at peace upon gazing into the flames – an activity she'd only known of since travelling with Zidane and the others. Garnet took solace in the times (however few and far between) that she could emerge from her tent and gently coax the dying embers back to life and adored the memories that such activities would return to her. Remembering a rather animated conversation about 'pitching tents' that occurred between Steiner and Zidane only a few weeks beforehand, a small smile graced the princess' features, breaking into a tiny giggle as she shifted closer to the flames…

'_H-Have we met?'_

… And just like that, the joyous feeling was replaced by a mild ping of jealousy and irritation. Garnet pouted as she clenched her fist, lowering a hand and sombrely collecting a handful of sand.

"Thanks a lot, you wretched fire," she grumbled as she threw the sand over the flames, rousing little more than a minute flicker from the exotic tango of orange and red. It almost seemed to be _taunting_ her as Garnet warded off the notion with a stern shake of her head. The princess found herself suddenly grumpy as a _certain_ memory of a _certain_ someone that she _certainly_ did _not_ want to share with anyone else flashed across… her… mind?

'_Wait… why am I thinking like this?' _Garnet pondered, flickering her eyes between the flames and her boots. '_Zidane isn't my property… he's… he's…'_

Garnet released a sigh as the thought opened up to her.

'… _He's my guardian, he's my friend, he's my…' _Garnet shook her head, reprimanding herself for a moment. _'… He's my irritating, uncouth, irrational, loyal, selfless, wonderful 'problem'_…_ and he's everything but-"_

"… mine."

"Can't sleep either?"

Garnet's eyes bolted open as her hands sprung to the ground in panic. Spinning around, she met the cerulean blues of Zidane, standing before his tent and slipping his arms into a large, dark-blue cloak. He gave a sheepish grin and made his way towards her.

'_Speak of the problem…'_

"I… I just… I mean with everything that's…" Garnet stumbled for words, trying to find a sentence that wouldn't give away that she'd had the thief on her mind for a good portion of the night. Thankfully, he found a way around the embarrassment with a simple question.

"Lots on your mind, eh?"

Garnet turned to him, meeting endearing eyes as he crouched beside her, tailing flickering about eagerly. She sighed, slumping her head back onto her folded arms as she once again turned to the fire.

"It's understandable, don't you think? I mean… ugh, I don't know which way to turn lately!" Garnet stated, gently cupping a hand over her cheek as Zidane shrugged and nodded in agreement. "It just seems that no matter where I look, I…"

Garnet returned to the not-so-distant memory that had inspired her sand-tossing, noting a heat rising in her cheeks at their brief encounter with… _Lani._

* * *

_Zidane breathed heavily, slapping his hands on his knees and crouching as Quina picked him/herself up from the dirty ground of Fossil Roo. After running away from… whatever that jousting juggernaut was, the group had tumbled into a small room with a single exit, leading to a winding, descending staircase._

"_Whoo… that was a close call," staggered Zidane between attempts to catch his breath._

_"Geez... That didn't do much good."_

_Shooting his head towards the strange voice, Zidane quickly dashed in front of Garnet and Vivi, pushing the two behind him as every eye turned to the stairs._

_"Who's there!?" cried Zidane as Garnet recoiled to his rear, once again feeling the guilt of relying on someone weighing heavily upon her shoulders. Zidane was so good to her… and she had no idea why, even now, he would throw himself before her to protect her from danger…_

_Before the princess could linger on the thoughts much longer, a beautiful, dark haired woman ascended from the stair well. Garnet blushed nervously as she darted from her giant axe to her rather revealing outfit – she could clearly see the woman's cleavage from where she stood, and the small skirt and barely intact covers over her arms left almost nought to the imagination! Garnet released a nervous 'eep', suddenly noticing that she hadn't been the only one to take an interest in the scantily clad woman._

"_I've been looking for you, Princess Garnet," the woman trilled with a very sensual flick of her hair, the notion not exactly going unnoticed by a certain thief. Zidane cleared his throat as a debonair smile claimed his visage, taking a step forward and offering his hand._

"_H-Have we met?"_

_Infuriated (and once again thoroughly confused by his antics), Garnet gave a light punch to the back of Zidane's head and rounded to his side._

"_**Quit flirting with her!**__" she hissed as Zidane withdrew his hand, placing it to the back of his head and gently smoothing back and forth over Garnet's minuscule attack._

"_Yes, ma'am…" he sulked as the woman shot a wink towards the thief, rousing a ridiculous feeling of jealousy from within Garnet's already furious disposition._

* * *

"… _something_ happens and… I'm… _alone_, again…"

Zidane seemed to understand as he lowered his gaze from Garnet. With everything that had been going on, he was sure that Garnet felt like everyone close to her was drifting away… how could Zidane have been so stupid? She must have felt like she was losing all of her friends. Zidane perked up slightly, doing his best to attempt to rouse a smile from the princess.

"You aren't alone here, right?"

She turned to him, a failing smile flickering across her face as she returned, _again_, to the fire. Zidane couldn't help but feel that he _may_ have been part of the problem… and as such, voiced a question without thinking, as he was prone.

"… Is… is this 'cause I tried to flirt with that Lani woman?"

'_Yes, you great big dummy!' _Garnet thought, absolutely burning with fleeting jealousy. '_For some reason, out of EVERYTHING that has happened, YOU are the most prominent thought in my mind! GOD only knows why, you… YOU…'_

Garnet sighed as she felt the familiar rising of heat to her cheeks, causing her to shift uncomfortably.

'… _you fantastic, outlandish, remarkable person…'_

Opting instead to voice her irritation instead of her affections after a moment of silence, Garnet sighed heavily as she lowered her head onto her arms once more.

"N-no, Zidane. After all, you and I are not under courtsh… we're _friends_," she said, unknowingly shifting straight to her proper tone – a sign that Zidane had begun to pick up on rather quickly, "so you may… _flirt_ with any woman you choose."

Zidane winced slightly, plastering a sheepish smile on his face as he placed a hand to the back of his head – he'd screwed up and Garnet was mad at him. Out of _every _problem that Zidane could have landed on, he picked the one that almost caused the princess to turn and shout her dormant affections towards him at the top of her lungs. Holding fast and remembering… _Lani,_ however, was enough to keep Garnet _just_ irate enough to hold herself back. Zidane tugged at the neck of his cloak, pulling a hood over his head as he cleared his throat.

"Well… that might be true, but th-there isn't anyone that I would prefer to fl…"

Quickly opting out of finishing the sentence (which, for the moment, was a _very _wise move on his part), Zidane turned to Garnet as he reached behind himself for a hidden item of clothing.

"Look," he said shifting closer to Garnet as she slowly turned to him, "I know I screwed up, but I took a _hell_ of alotta needles to the butt to pay for it, so… how about you let me try and make it up to you, just this once?"

The princess inwardly fell giddy with excitement and almost squeaked out a titter, reminiscing to earlier that evening where she'd spent almost half an hour performing a 'cure' spell repeatedly on the thief's backside. Outwardly, however, she contained herself rather well as she turned to Zidane inquisitively.

"Wh-what are you talking about, Zidane? You've done nothing to warrant such-"

"Dagger," he quickly spoke, cutting her off and standing tall, "just stop talking. C'mon-"

Zidane quickly tossed a garment over to Garnet, which she caught elegantly.

"-we're going on an adventure!"

Garnet quickly noticed that Zidane had thrown her the robe that he'd found for her the last time that he'd returned from a treasure hunt with Choco. She held it up and turned to Zidane as he placed a large lump of sand over the fire, extinguishing the flames and smiling wide. Stealing away the bright lights of the fire left only the pale glow of the moon to see him by, and Garnet suddenly became extremely nervous.

"An adventure? What do yo-_AAAH, ZIDANE! WH-WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?"_

Before the princess had time to protest (let alone think) Zidane swiftly scooped her up, dashing madly away from the campsite as she clutched the robe to her chest. An irrevocable grin wiped across the thief's face as he laughed, making his way towards a mountain range whilst Garnet quickly threw her arms around his neck.

"Like I said, Dagger, we're going on an adventure! That's why I gave you that robe! You're gonna need it if you wanna keep warm tonight!"

"K-Keep w-warm!?" Garnet staggered, suddenly realising how cold it was as she pressed herself against Zidane slightly. "W-we're not g-going anywhere c-cold, are w-we?"

"That depends on how fast he goes!"

Although she found herself utterly confused at Zidane's words and antics as he raced along, Garnet found herself oddly comforted by the simple fact of just knowing he was-

'_No! Don't you dare begin to play tricks on me!' _Garnet internally shrieked at herself, shuddering as the cold night air began to send goose-bumps throughout her body… or, at least, she wanted to _believe_ it was the cold. _'I am not in love with Zidane Tribal!'_

Deciding to attempt to distract her thoughts, she began to voice the unsuitable nature of the current goings-on… taking note of how ill-effectively it banished her feelings.

"Z-Zidane! This… this is _highly _inappropriate!" she cried, even though she slowly found herself warming to the posit-

'_NO! I am NOT 'warming' to this position, and I AM NOT in love with Zidane Tribal!'_

"What's so bad about it? I carried you outta the castle like this!" Zidane cried, laughing as he dashed along, guided by nothing more than the moonlight.

"Y-you did!?" Garnet cried, tightening her grip around his neck as she felt absolute embarrassment claim her rosy cheeks. "H-how _humiliating!_"

Another laugh left the thief as he continued to dash towards what seemed to be some sort of opening, just short of a large cliff face. It wasn't long at all before Zidane found what he was looking for – the signature tracks of a Chocobo! Skidding to a sudden stop, Garnet squeaked in response as Zidane lowered her to the ground, flicking off his hood and darting around the landscape. Stumbling before regaining feeling in her legs, Garnet quickly covered herself in her robe, threading her arms through the magnificently warm material as she ran her hands up and down her arms.

"Ok, right about here should do… Oh, wait! Dagger!"

Zidane took Garnet's hand in his own as he spun her around, wrenching the princess' eyes wide open as she collapsed into his chest. Once again finding her thoughts blurred with too many emotions to orchestrate a comprehensible sentence, Garnet released a questioning 'pip' of sound, which she hoped that Zidane would pick up on…

Yeah, _of course_ he would…

Zidane released a small snicker as Garnet remained wide-eyed against him, her hands laying prominent upon his chest.

"Heh, sorry 'bout that, but you gotta stay close. Just for the first time, anyway," he said, placing an arm around Garnet and, unbeknownst to her, retrieving a Gysahl Green from his pocket with the other. Falling within the confines of his embrace, Garnet couldn't help but allow herself to swoon ever-so-slightly to the thief… that is, until Zidane's last sentence began echoing in her ears.

'_Just for the first time, anyway.'_

'_Just for the first time…'_

'… _for the first time…'_

'… _the first time…'_

'… _first time…'_

'_First time…'_

'_FIRST TIME!?'_

Garnet suddenly found her heart almost exploding from her chest – her _first time?_ Out in the middle of _nowhere!? WITH ZIDANE!?_

"F-F-FIRST TIME F-FOR WHAT!?" she cried, finding herself shrieking and, unknowingly, wrapping her arms around the very instigator of such a profane thought. Zidane pointed off into the distance.

"This!"

A small crunching sound was heard as Garnet turned to Zidane's hand, noting a small vegetable within his fingers. An extremely sweet aroma suddenly drifted towards her as she heard a familiar sound. Barely a whisper at first, but soon erupting into a chorus along with loud, heavy stomping…

"_Kweeeh!"_

Garnet turned to the direction, seeing the azure plumage of Zidane's Chocobo companion, Choco, dashing towards her. Suddenly struck by fear, Garnet dashed around Zidane in a panic and placed her hands on his shoulders, thoroughly unknowledgeable as to what to do. Zidane laughed, turning to Garnet with a smile.

"Don't worry, Dagger! It's only-"

"_KWEEEH!"_

"-Choco!"

Zidane suddenly moved forward, leaving a petrified Garnet frozen behind him. He happily tossed the crushed vegetable in his hand towards Choco, who happily snapped it up and clucked merrily. Quickly striding to Choco's side, Zidane ran a hand along the bird's sky-blue down before turning to Garnet. The princess plastered her gaze to Choco before a clearing of his throat turned her to Zidane.

"Choco, Dagger. Dagger, Choco."

Garnet turned to the giant bird, unable to discern what actions would be appropriate when greeting a… Chocobo. It was a giant bird, for goodness sake! Darting to Zidane who nodded towards Choco expectantly, Garnet mustered a deep breath, gathering what remained of her fast-depleted confidence as she bowed towards Choco.

"P-Pleasure to meet you, Choco," came her timid greeting as Choco darted inquisitively to Zidane, clucking questioningly. The thief held a hand to his mouth to keep a chuckle dormant as Choco returned his attentions to Garnet. Taking a few strides towards the princess, Choco broke into a quick bought of clucking as he returned the princess' bow, giving a resounding trill akin to that of a purr. Finding her heart nestled safely back within her ribcage, Garnet graced a smile across her features as she ran a coy hand across the azure plumage of the bird. Zidane grinned, wiping his nose victoriously.

"See? Nothin' to be afraid of – he _likes_ you!" Zidane mused, walking over to Choco as the bird lifted his head and darted back to Zidane, sniffing expectantly around the thief's vest. Zidane released a small laugh, digging into his vest as Choco clucked excitedly.

"Alright, alright, but only one more until we find more treasure!"

Zidane pulled another Gysahl Green from his vest as he lifted it to Choco's beak. Choco cooed happily as he nibbled at the vegetable while Zidane placed a hand on his back, causing Choco to sit as he turned to Garnet.

"Shall we?"

Garnet turned from the happily munching bird to Zidane who gave another quick pat to Choco's back. Quickly surmising what he meant, the princess recoiled, darting between the two.

"Y-you don't mean…?"

"Well, I didn't bring you along just to leave you here, did I?"

With a swift manoeuvre from the thief had the princess once again cradled in his arms as he walked her to the seated Chocobo. Whilst Garnet had indeed been curious about riding the bird, she never expected the opportunity to present itself in such a way!

"W-wait! I-"

"You'll be fine, don't worry," Zidane reassured her, placing her to the rear of the bird as Zidane took his place at the front. After a quick pat to Choco's neck, a nervous 'uuuh' from Garnet and an adventurous cry from Zidane, Choco flapped his wings as he took to his feet, called happily and broke into an excited sprint. As the bird took off at top speed, Garnet clasped her arms on Zidane, holding onto his shoulders for dear life as she swallowed her heart.

"Z-Zidane! I-I've never done this before!"

"You'll be _fine, _Dagger! Just hold on tight, alright!?"

The remark from Zidane held little comfort to the princess as she closed her eyes, tightening her hold on his shoulders.

"Wh-what if I _fall off!?"_

At that moment, Garnet felt a constriction around her mid-section.

"No chance of that now!"

Garnet lowered her eyes to her stomach and gasped – Zidane had coiled his tail around the princess, fastening the limb like a harness around her tiny waist. Any feeling of danger and fear suddenly washed away as Garnet eased a smile onto her visage, leaning slightly to catch the side of the thief's confident smile. She began to fall haplessly within whatever boundaries that were 'Zidane Tribal' as she closed her eyes, leaning her head gently against his shoulder and folding her arms around Zidane's mid-section. Moulding her body to his, she found herself easing into a calming warmth that was somehow so inviting, so innocent, so… _perfect_ that her thoughts and breath slowly escaped her.

'… _b-but I'm… not in love…'_

Her heart suddenly returned to floundering somewhere around her throat as Garnet tightened her grip slightly, unwilling to allow herself to part from… _Zidane…_

"You alright back there?"

She sighed contentedly as she felt the resonance of Zidane's voice trickling static through her system. The blistering cold of the evening dessert held little discomfort for the blushing princess as she shook her head against Zidane's back, feeling that absolutely nothing could be wrong with this moment… and yet, her subconscious still found something to pick on.

"I'm… a little cold…"

'_What? No, I'm not! Why would I say that?'_

Before she had time to continue to argue with her thoughts, Garnet found herself pressing harder against Zidane as he brought Choco to a halt. After a rather confused 'kweh' from the bird, Zidane turned to the princess, a wide smile on his face that Garnet knew only too well to be a mischievous omen.

"A little cold, eh?"

Before she could realise what was happening (or protest said happening), Zidane fastened his arms around her waist, releasing his tail and lifting her to his front as she found herself frozen inside a glacier of emotions. A quick shifting of his body had Zidane pressed against Garnet who, still unable to find her voice, merely remained stationary as two opposing sides of a large black cloak circled around her.

"Here, this should keep you warm," Zidane sang as he placed an arm around Garnet's waist, finally prompting a tiny 'mhm' in response as Garnet latched on to either side of Zidane's large cloak. Pulling the cloak over her in an attempt to sway the 'cold' (and fully aware of what the action would entail), a small smirk lined her features as Zidane lurched forward, releasing a surprised breath upon colliding with the back of the princess. Garnet braced her arms across herself, ensuring that Zidane could not recoil backwards as she felt a bought of laughter vibrating through her back.

"Just a little cold, huh?"

"… Mhm."

Garnet found herself repeating her latest response as she eased her head backwards, returning to the nape of Zidane's neck as he tightened his hold on the princess' waist. Leaning forward with a winning smile, Zidane patted a hand to Choco's shoulder. Once again launching into an excited dash, Choco called loudly as only one thought consumed Zidane as the trio made their way across the rugged landscape:

'_I'm such a stud!'_

* * *

"Alright, this is it! It's _gotta _be!"

Musing over the coloured stone in his hands, Zidane looked over the landscape as Choco suddenly slammed his head into the ground.

_***THWACK!***_

"_Kweeeh!"_

"_AAAAAH!"_

Garnet shrieked as Choco returned from the ground, shaking his head and darting from side to side. Taken completely by surprise, Garnet clapped a hand to her mouth as Zidane laughed, patting a hand to Choco's shoulder.

"O-oh my _goodness!_ I-is the poor thing _alright!?_" she asked concernedly, running a hand over Choco's neck. Zidane looked past the princess, maintaining a small chuckle.

"Hah! S-sorry Dagger, I shoulda warned ya! When Choco thinks he's found some treasure, he-"

_***THWACK!***_

"_Kweeeh!"_

"_Good Grief!"_

"HAH! He does that! That's how we find 'em!"

Garnet found herself wincing with every downward motion that Choco made as the bird darted to and fro, repeatedly slamming his beak into the ground. An appalled look befell the young princess as she flinched, watching Choco maintain his excitement as he continued to search.

"Z-Zidane! This _–ooh!-_ can't be healthy _–oh my!-_ for the poor thing!?" she staggered, repeatedly caught off guard by the cracking sound of Chocobo's beak hitting the ground. Zidane laughed as he held onto Garnet for all he was worth.

"T-try telling _him_ that! Woohoo!"

_***THWACK!***_

"_Kweeeh!"_

"Goodness gracious!"

_***THWACK!***_

"_Kweeeh!"_

"Oh _goodness, Zidane!_ Must we continue this-"

_***THWA-BANG!***_

"_KWEEEH!"_

Garnet's heart nearly stopped as she expected the bird to return with a blood-soaked beak. Zidane, on the other hand, leapt from Choco with a victorious bellow.

"Whoa-yeah, jackpot! Attaboy, Choco!"

"Kweeeh!"

Garnet turned to the parading thief as he brandished another Gysahl green, tossing it to Choco who snatched it from the air. Shuddering in excitement, the bird flapped excitedly as Garnet clasped her arms and legs around his neck, tightly closing her eyes.

"_WARK!"_

A sudden choking warble had Zidane's attentions turned from the treasure to Choco as he found Garnet performing what appeared to be a demented chokehold to the poor thing's neck. Giving a short laugh, Zidane made his way to Choco's side, reaching towards the princess as Garnet remained cemented to Choco's back.

"Uh, Dagger? You can come down now…"

Slowly opening her eyes, Garnet was met with the image of Zidane reaching endearingly towards her, arms wide open and charming smile to boot. Giving a coy grin and a shrug, Zidane released a small laugh.

"Anytime, y'know…"

Admittedly robbed of any ability to resist Zidane's charms, Garnet seemed to release Choco in slow motion as she fell towards Zidane, arms opening to meet his. Swiftly having her fall come to an abrupt end as Choco shook his head and neck, Garnet met Zidane's arms as the thief smiled towards Choco's suddenly fluffed out plumes. Cradling the princess just as he had done earlier that night, Zidane walked over to the small hole in the ground where Choco had found the buried chest. As Zidane attempted to release the princess, he quickly noticed that Garnet's grip wasn't faltering at all. After falling into his arms, Garnet had found her comfort again and it seemed she was adamant on having it stay for good. Zidane turned to the princess in his arms, darting to her closed eyes and wide smile.

'… _Dagger's got REALLY nice teeth…'_

Amusing himself with the thought of waking up beside her _just once,_ Zidane shook his head, dismissing the notion before clearing his throat.

"Ummm, Dagger?"

"Mhm?"

The dreamy response sounded a little more suggestive than the princess would have liked – a fact that quickly woke her from a rather intense day-dream. Snapping her eyes open and tracing a line from Zidane's chest to his eyes, the princess suddenly realised how long she'd remained motionless in the thief's arms.

"Heh, kinda need my arms for digging, you know…"

"I… ummm, o-of course!"

Garnet withdrew her hands from Zidane's neck as he set her down beside him. Recomposing herself and smoothing her hands over her robe, Garnet locked her hands behind herself as she turned to Zidane with a brilliant smile.

"What can I do to help?"

Zidane suddenly whirled around, quickly getting into character and leaping about in a theatrical display of…

… _something_.

"Prithee, raise not but a finger, fairest maiden! Lo and behold, thine elite guardian and mine trusty Chocobo shall soon unearth this ancient coffer and lavish thee with spoils worthy of Leopold's throne!"

Garnet found the smile waning from her features, raising a dubious brow as Zidane finished with a low bow. Choco clucked bemusedly as Zidane raised his eyes to meet Garnet's.

"… too much?"

Garnet pinched her thumb and forefinger together, holding them to her eyes.

"_Just _a little."

Zidane corrected himself and shrugged, happily taking to his knees as Choco lowered his beak.

"Can't win 'em all."

Garnet watched amusedly as Zidane and Choco scooped away mounds of dirt from around the chest. After a short while, the two had removed enough earth to expose the chest's metal handles, just _asking_ to be grasped and pulled from its earthly confines… and Zidane was only too happy to oblige.

"Alrighty!"

Zidane placed a hand either side of the chest, grabbing the handles as he widened his stance and began heaving upwards.

"Here _-*mph!*- …_ we _-*MPH!*- _… GO!"

With another few tugs, Zidane finally wrestled the chest free from its confines with a loud '_SCHUNK_'. Toppling backwards as he clutched the chest to his sternum, Zidane performed a single backwards roll as Garnet quickly tottered to his side.

"Are you ok?" she asked, placing a hand to his head as Zidane rocked forwards, chest intact and victorious smile on his face.

"Will be soon!"

Zidane corrected himself as he placed the chest before him, rubbing his hands together and turning to Garnet who knelt beside him, suddenly seeming as excited as he was.

"Would you do the honours, m'lady?"

Garnet turned to the thief, smiling wide as Zidane swiped off the lock with a dagger. Garnet turned to the latch as Zidane swiftly sheathed his weapon, placing a finger underneath it and flicking it upwards. Garnet placed her hands over the chest as Zidane poked his head over her shoulder, waiting with baited breath for the moment of truth. A heavy clunk was heard as the chest squeaked open.

"Oh, _my_…"

Garnet gazed longingly to a set of nine rainbow coloured feathers, reaching for them as Choco cooed happily.

"These… _these_ are Phoenix Pinions… do you know how _rare_ these are?" Garnet asked, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful colouration of the plumes as she lifted them from the chest. Zidane laughed, motioning to a small collection of shining stones underneath the feathers.

"Well, well… looks like those might be for you as well…"

Zidane reached to the small pile of jewels as Garnet gasped. Collecting one between his fingers and turning to Garnet, Zidane smiled charmingly as it glistened in an outlandish yellow glow. The princess smiled in amazement as she replaced the feathers, turning to Zidane as he placed the shining gem in her palm.

"Th-these are Peridots…!" she thought aloud, taking one between her fingers and closing her eyes.

"That's what that Ramuh guy gave you, wasn't it?"

Garnet turned to Zidane, beaming. The gods really _were_ watching over her…

"Yes... it held his power…"

Zidane laughed, pointing to the glistening Peridots in the chest.

"Well, you've got twelve right here! That's _bound_ to make it stronger, right?" he mused, happily motioning to Choco. "Aren't we lucky that Choco's such a good hunter?"

The bird gave an excited coo as Garnet giggled, placing the gem back inside the box. Garnet traced the brilliant eyes of the thief, gleaming in the sunshine glow of the Peridots as he smiled…

'… _I'm lucky that… I have…'_

"_you…"_ Garnet mouthed, quickly placing fingers to her lips to hide her suddenly shining smile. Zidane was thankfully perusing the remaining contents of the chest, quickly noticing a few more bottles, immediately recognised as 'phoenix downs', next to a brilliant pair of diamond-trimmed gloves. Zidane scoffed, lifting a single gauntlet from the chest and turning to Garnet.

"Well whaddaya know… heh, armoured gloves!" he exclaimed, quickly running a thought past the princess. "Maybe _these'll_ get me into Rusty's good books!"

He turned to Garnet who returned with a questioning pursing of her lips and a raised brow. Zidane sighed, tossing the diamond gloves back into the chest with a beaten smile.

"Ah well…" he said, flashing one more smile to Garnet, "can't win 'em all, right?"

* * *

"Alrighty. I'll take front this time – gotta hold the chest – so… just bunch up and you should stay _plenty_ warm, Dagger."

Zidane finished his sentence with a cheeky smirk as he fastened the chest to Choco's back. Garnet overlapped her robe once more, fastening it shut with her hand as she rolled her eyes at Zidane.

"I'll be fine, just make sure you don't drop the chest!"

The thief laughed happily, basking in the glory that his influence was bringing as he gave the princess a thumbs-up.

"_Now_ you're thinking like a treasure hunter!"

Following Zidane's lead, the two boarded Choco who needed little more than a pat to the shoulder to rise to his feet. Garnet fastened her arms around Zidane's waist once more as she felt the familiar 'harness' circle around her waist. Another pat to Choco's shoulder roused an excited call from the bird as he dashed towards the forest, returning Zidane and Garnet to the group.

"Y'know…"

Garnet's eyes opened as Zidane placed a hand against hers, giving a gentle squeeze.

"… I'm _really_ glad you came tonight, Dagger…"

Thankfully Garnet had no need to hide her blushing cheeks as she tightened her grip against Zidane, remembering how she came to be in this situation.

"I didn't _exactly _have much of a choice…" she laughed as he smiled, replacing his hand to Choco's neck as Garnet pressed her cheek to Zidane's shoulder, "… but I'm… really glad that I came, too… thank you, Zidane."

Zidane turned to the princess, flashing one last smile.

"Anytime."

Finding herself clutching to the safety that was Zidane once more, Princess Garnet Til Alexandros finally lost the will to convince herself any longer:

'… _I… I __**might**__ be falling… in love with Zidane Tribal…'_

* * *

Well my god, this chapter was a chore. Not sure how happy I am with it, mainly because it's so LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG, but hopefully you guys liked it! Let me know either way, because I may return to it to polish it up…

But for now, it'll do.

All the best, good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	9. The Eleventh Hour

**In honour of every legend of gaming out there.**

* * *

"Just cast l-life, he _-*wheeze!*- _dies straight away!"

"Wait, wh-what!? N-n-no! Don't you dare, you pathetic little-"

"Life!"

Zidane dashed out of the stairwell and into the final 'room' of Memoria with high spirits and higher exhaustion. The swirling aura left Garnet's body as she tailed him from the stairs, taking the Earth Guardian by surprise as the spell surrounded his body. Steiner quickly joined Zidane and Garnet on the aqua platform as a blood-curdling shriek echoed through the hollow atmosphere, followed by the Lich trembling spastically.

"Gah! Wh-What have you d-done!?"

Zidane flipped a swallow blade into his hands, launching himself towards the head of the floating enemy with a merciless smirk.

"It's called a speed-run, _bitch!"_

Driving the blade through the head of the Earth Guardian, Zidane landed behind the rotting corpse of the now-decapitated Lich as Steiner continued his relentless pursuit of the energetic youth, clanking loudly into view and earshot from the stairwell.

"C'mon, Rusty! It's not far now!"

Zidane whipped around to the knight as he pointed to a series of columns to the right of the hexagonal platform. Zidane and Steiner tore towards them as the Lich finally fell from its floating perch, bursting into smoking ash upon hitting the ground. The remaining party held very little hopes of catching up to them as they still desperately attempted to make it up the stairs.

"Z-Zidane! A-are you sure that –*_phew!*-_ that there's anything over here?" Steiner blurted as he placed a hand to his chest, desperate to keep up with the madly dashing thief as his armour continued its signature clanking. "And _why_ are we running so fast!? I'm… good grief, I'm _exhausted!"_

Zidane came to a sudden halt as Steiner finally ambled to his side. The thief smirked, turning to Steiner as he held a confident fist to the sky.

"We're running because _we can,_ Rusty, _and_ because _we're the strongest!_"

Garnet tottered towards the two, breathing heavily as she dropped her 'Whale Whisker' racquet and crouched over, placing hands to her knees as she gasped for breath. A look of absolute bafflement and anger spread across Steiner's exhausted visage as he clenched his fists.

"You _-*wheeze!*- _have _no idea_ what we're looking for, do you!?" Steiner bellowed, unable to muster the strength to jump disapprovingly as Zidane laughed, turning to Rus-… ahem, _Steiner_ before pointing to a large and intricately detailed blue pillar that held a small green glow.

"_That's _what we're looking for, Rusty! Just like I _-*puff!*-_ thought! Wait here!"

Zidane triumphantly strode over to a lone pillar opposite the decomposing Earth Guardian. Nestled inside of the column was a blade, held strong and hidden within the confines of the patterned brickwork. A small note was pinned to the left of the column which Zidane took and read, swiftly pocketing the note thereafter and smiling broadly. Dropping his swallow blade and swiftly twirling his daggers into his hands, Zidane etched at the intricate blocks until the blade and handle shone brightly in plain view. A swift yank from the overly-eager thief had the sword freed from its prison (along with bringing down what was left of the pillar itself) before he marched happily to Steiner, presenting the glowing green blade to the knight.

"To Captain "Rusty" Steiner _*heh!*_, I _-*wheeze!*-_ proudly present… the Excalibur II!" he exclaimed, holding the sword towards Steiner as the captain's breathing suddenly became laboured. "Oh, and here's the letter to _-*puff!*-_ prove it!"

Zidane reached into his pocket as he withdrew the small note, handing it over to Steiner who swiftly snatched the note from the thief. The Captain's eyes widened as he skimmed over the note hastily, quickly tucking the note into his belt as he turned to Zidane.

"M-My goodness… the sword of _legend!_ This… this can't be true!?" he stated, taking the blade from Zidane's hand as a tremendous power surged through the knight. Steiner gasped in absolute amazement – he feared he may very well trance on the spot!

"Eh? _Eh?_ What'd I _-*cough!*-_say? I just _KNEW_ there was gonna be a _-*pant!*- _badass weapon up here for you!" Zidane cried breathlessly, placing his hands on his knees and crouching over in an attempt to catch his breath. Steiner performed a number of swipes into the air, absolutely awe-struck at the strength that adorned his new weapon.

"I… I have _never_ felt stronger in my life! The sword, the _legends_ – they ring true!"

Garnet stumbled to Zidane's side, gasping for air as she landed elegantly on her knees. Attempting to sit down, however, caused her to fall backwards… not-so-elegantly.

"Ugh… Zi-Zidane, c-can we _finally_ take a rest now?" she asked desperately, flicking her legs out from underneath her as she lay on the shining aqua floor. "It feels like… goodness, it feels like not _twelve_ _hours _ago I was fleeing from Alexandria!"

Zidane laughed, walking over to Garnet and joining her on the cool floor with a loud 'thwap' as Steiner continued to play with his new toy.

"Don't be ridiculous, Dagger!" he stated, placing his arm underneath the young queen's head as she nestled into the make-shift pillow. "It's been months since I kidnapped you. Besides, how could we possibly have traversed entire continents, found our way through underground mazes, battled nigh-indestructible bosses and enemies, un-petrified Blank from Evil Forest, gone to another dimensional world, witnessed the rise and fall of the Alexandrian Kingdom, _twice_, found out about where you live and your lineage, _restored Regent Cid and Lady Hilda to their former glory, witnessed the destruction of Burmecia AND Lindblum, visited the Lost and Forgotten continents and the palaces and shrines littered around the world, found Chocobo's Paradise, Mognet Central and all these weapons and items in various treasure chests around said world, __**remembered to get that Morrid guy his three coffees, bought all the stuff at Treno's auction, found and explored the ethereal libraries of Daguerreo, assured not to forget anything that might have caused me not to labelled as an S-class treasure hunter AND gotten to the FINAL boss in Memoria in under twelve hours?"**_

Garnet turned to the garrulous thief as he squeaked out the final few words of his extraordinarily long sentence. He _finally_ took a much needed breath and turned to a completely bewildered Garnet as the two locked an unyielding gaze with each other. A questioning raise of Zidane's brows robbed the queen of any remaining puzzlement as she burst out laughing. At that exact moment, a wheezing Vivi, Freya and Eiko ascended the stairwell, just in time to find Garnet and Zidane giggling on the floor. Garnet leant over Zidane, brushing the hair away from his sweaty brow as she smiled – a notion that Zidane would _never_ grow tired of.

"I love you, Zidane."

Gentle hands smoothed over Zidane's cheeks as Garnet pushed her lips to his - another act that the thief had yet tire of. Had Steiner not been so entranced by his weapon, it can be wagered that an attempt to halt the activity may have been undertaken. Instead, Garnet allowed her lips to linger for but a moment until a high-pitched voice suddenly piped up.

"Oh, _excuuuuuuuuuuuse_ me, Zidane!" Eiko squeaked, clearly unimpressed and still _extremely_ jealous of Zidane's and Garnet's blossoming romance. "If I'd known that you and _Dagger _just wanted to be _alooooooone,_ I'd have stayed downstairs!"

Zidane released a small groan as Garnet met his cerulean blues, absolute contentedness glowing from her deep hazel eyes.

"_Did we HAVE to bring her along?"_ he whispered as Garnet laughed.

"_Be nice, you."_

Eiko flailed her arms hysterically as she fell backwards and into a silent tantrum. Before Zidane and Garnet had the chance to engage in another passionate lip-lock, however, a very, _very _exhausted Vivi tottered to Freya's side and attempted to talk, wheezing loudly with almost every word.

"Z-Zidane _-*wheeze!*- _c-can we_-*huff!*-_ please _-*wheeeeeeeeeeeeze!*-_ j-just… stop for a _-*squeak!*- _s-second…?"

Zidane raised a thumbs-up to his tiny friend, a broad smile across his face as Garnet broke from his lips and shifted herself around to rest her head against the thief's chest.

"It's… whew, it's time for a rest guys… _-*huff!*-_ we got what we _-*wheeze!*- _came for," he staggered as a clattering of weapons was heard. Eiko, suddenly gaining a newfound energy, sprang up and leapt towards Garnet and Zidane, lowering herself and resting her head against the thief's sternum alongside Garnet who rolled her eyes and laughed. Freya released a very loud sigh as the Burmecian tumbled downwards, sprawling out over the floor as Vivi rested a gentle head against her stomach. Freya stroked a hand over the straw hat of the small mage who closed his eyes, releasing a very contented sigh. A moment of silence claimed the group before Zidane and Garnet erupted in chaotic laughter once again. Spreading like wildfire, Vivi, Eiko and Freya burst into fits of cackles, giggles and chuckles, filling the empty space of the intricately detailed room. Steiner still remained enchanted by his new blade, completely oblivious to the goings-on as the group continued to chuckle. However, it wasn't long before a threatening sound broke through the chirping laughter of the group, with Zidane being the first to pick up on it.

"… wait, what's that noise?"

_***Schhh-thump!* Grunt!***_

_***Schhh-thump!* Groan!***_

_***Schhh-thump!* Grunt!***_

Zidane turned to the stairwell as Garnet and Eiko struggled to lift themselves up. A messy mop of red dreadlocks emerged from the darkened corridor, accompanied with a menacing series of grunts and groans.

_***Schhh-thump!* Grunt!***_

_***Schhh-thump!* Groan!***_

_***Schhh-FWUMP!*UUGH!***_

Amarant gasped for breath as he crouched over, placing palms on his knees. Behind him was a faintly recognisable lump of white, soon identified to be Quina as a gravelly voice reprimanded the entire group.

"You… bastards!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "D'ya know how _-*wheeze!*- _long it took me to _-*gasp!*-_ drag this… ugh, _drag this FAT LUMP up the FUCKING STAIRS!?"_

Zidane burst out laughing, remembering how the Qu had become a very distant memory after lagging too far behind as the party dashed through the room of the Kraken. Quina's foot twitched spastically as Amarant dragged himself to a nearby pillar, leaning his back against it and slowly sliding down.

"Christ…" Amarant groaned, rubbing a stern hand over his lower back, "I think I grinded my lower back into fucking _paste!"_

"Is that what I can smell?"

"_Piss off, monkey!"_

Another tumultuous round of laughter erupted from the group as Freya smiled.

"My goodness, what an experience… I'm afraid I might be sore for weeks…"

"T-tell me about it," Vivi croaked, lazily reaching for his staff that was now kicked well beyond his slackened reach. "I don't think the Yan's were this much of a workout…"

"Fuckin' stupid sheep," grumbled Amarant, recollecting numerous flaming comets heading straight towards him, courtesy of the woolly foes. "How the fuck can a _sheep_ cast a fucking 'Comet' spell? Makes about as much sense as… tch, as _that._"

Amarant pointed disinterestedly towards Quina who remained unconscious. Freya staggered a laugh, returning to her first memories of the Yans.

"Their fleece made absolutely delightful clothing, though," Freya added, smiling happily and drawing a hand over her Yan-wool scarf as the party happily agreed. Upon the party's first victory over a group of the tiny enemies, Zidane and Amarant had deftly skinned and fleeced the remains of three Yans. After a quick stop at Treno, the party had left with new adornments which were nothing short of the talk of the town. As Eiko paused to admire the inarguably soft Yan-wool gloves that she'd had fashioned, Amarant suddenly noticed an ecstatic Steiner swishing a glowing green blade back and forth.

"What the heck's Rusty so happy about?"

Zidane released a rather coarse laugh as he raised a hand and waved in Amarant's direction.

"Hah! You called him 'Rusty'!" Zidane exclaimed, pointing weakly towards Amarant as Garnet and Eiko began to titter. "I _knew _I'd rub off on ya!"

"Pfft," Amarant scoffed, unwilling to admit the pain-staking truth, "yeah right. Whatever, are we done here? I need a fucking drink… actually, _three_…"

"First one's on me," Zidane piped up as he placed a hand over Garnet's head, to which Eiko promptly turned a jealous shade of red, "but I think what I need is a great big _steak_…"

Like practical clockwork, Quina suddenly snapped wide-awake, looking around the room.

"Ooo, it very dark here! Something smell like bad meat!"

The Qu jumped up, much to Amarant's dismay, and turned to the bounty hunter, a wide smile across his/her face.

"Big thanks for not leaving me in smelly water! You good person! I give you good tasties when I find!"

Quina then proceeded to bounce over to Zidane, sniffing around him, Garnet and Eiko energetically.

"Zidane! Where steak? You say steak is big, but I no can see!" Quina exclaimed, jumping up and down excitedly and dashing around the room. Zidane lazily turned to him/her, sighing and shrugging his shoulders. Eiko, however, was the only one to pipe up at the incredibly simple-minded Qu.

"You big fat _fatty!_ All you think about is food and… _and…_"

Eiko suddenly burst out in tears as Zidane cringed, trying his best to keep his laughter dormant as every muscle in his body ached.

"_WAAAAAAAAAH! IIIIIIIII'M SOOOOOOOOO HUUUUUUUNGRYYYYYYYYYYY!"_

"Awww, it's ok, Eiko. Don't cry," reassured Zidane, patting a hand to her head as she sobbed. "Tell ya what, after a quick nap, I'll buy us all something to eat. How's that sound?"

Eiko turned to Zidane, absolutely star-struck and slapped a kiss on his cheek.

"_That_ sounds like something befitting a true gentleman, Zidane!" she exclaimed, narrowing her eyes and turning to Garnet. "… _Dagger's_ really lucky…"

Before a protest could be raised, Eiko's tiny head collided with the thief's sternum once more, quickly followed by soft snores. Zidane glanced down to the young girl, shocked for only a moment before he placed a hand to her head, gently stroking her hair as he sighed in relief.

"Well, there's one down."

"No steak here, no steak there, NO STEAK NOWHERE!" Quina cried, jumping up and down loudly before stopping suddenly, dropping to the floor faster than Zidane could turn his head to see.

"Make that two."

Vivi lowered his staff with a large yawn after having successfully hit Quina with a 'Sleep' spell. Zidane found a titter escape him as he turned to the young black mage with a smile.

"Good one, Viv's."

Expecting some kind of response, Zidane craned his head to the tiny mage.

"Viv's?"

Small snores began to rumble from the brim of his steepled hat as Vivi joined Eiko in a well-deserved rest. Zidane smiled contentedly as he looked to Freya, whom Vivi was resting on – a peaceful slumber had claimed her also. Zidane executed a yawn of agreement.

"You guys have… _-*yawn*-_ … got the right… idea…"

Steiner suddenly withdrew his sword as he turned to his comrades, eager to test the metal (literally) of his new-found blade.

"Right, comrades! Let us press on! Such a fine blade mustn't be stung so by keeping it sheathed! I must satisfy its hunger for battle! Let us divide and conquer! Go forth and be victorious! Rend the head of evil from its…"

Steiner paused, taking a second to reflect on the forms of his teammates.

… the _sleeping_ forms of his teammates.

A forlorn look spread across the knight's face – he'd been so looking forward to trying out such an exquisite weapon… and it was then that a thought entered his mind.

* * *

"… for Master Vivi, for the rapscallion, for Madam Freya and finally - your majesty!"

Steiner finished laying the remainder of the group inside a culmination of two tents, granting plenty of space for each to rest more than comfortably whilst he completed the finishing touches. After placing the softest pillow under the head of the young queen, Steiner boldly strode out of the tent. Happily folding the doors over and zipping the residents safely inside, Captain Adelbert Steiner took proudly to his watch with an irrevocable grin, daring _any_ enemy to cross the path of his newfound strength…

The sword of Legend: The Excalibur II.

* * *

This chapter is in honour of all those who pushed through the challenge and actually got this blasted weapon. Sleepless nights were had, and a mixture of emotions collected upon completion of this tedious task – EUPHORIA in its purest essence, followed by exasperation and quickly overpowered by ABSOLUTE EXHAUSTION!

Here's to you amazing gamers and all lovers of Final Fantasy IX!

Now, as stated, I'll be absent for about three weeks, but rest assured I shall try to write while I'm away – and hopefully return with more Final Fantasy mayhem! Currently working on a continuation of the scene with Beatrix and Steiner – you know, where Eiko wrote the letter to Zidane, gave it to Baku and it got lost then found by Steiner and Beatrix and then they meet under the stars in Alexandria and _Baku ruins it just as they were about to kiss and the almost do but then they don't because __**Baku is such a big fat dummy head and Jesus ALL I WANTED THEM TO DO WAS KISS THE ENTIRE GAME AND THEY DON'T EVEN DO IT AT THE END OF THE FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF**_-

*BREATH*

… anyways, so that'll be a little chapter for my own personal happiness (^-^)

Hope you enjoyed the latest few chapters, and see you in a few weeks!

Good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	10. Diamonds in her eyes

**Author's note: … Ok, so I said I'd be gone for a while, but after getting blessed with inspiration, I just **_**had**_** to get this chapter done first! The infamous "When the night sky wears the moon as its pendant, I shall await you at the dock" scene…**

…**only **_**this **_**time, the scene shall remain uninterrupted! :D**

**Also note that some dialogue is changed from the game for entertainment purposes ^-^**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_The endearing form of her unrequited emotions dashed off noisily after sending Baku away with a firm scolding. The delicately scarred flower made her way towards the dispersed scene, wishing only that her love had returned towards her instead of continuing about his errands. With a longing gaze upon his fast-fading figure, the Rose of May accepted that she'd never be seen as anything more than competition in the eyes of the only person that she cared for… whom she, silently and solitarily, had fallen in love with._

"_So, it _was_ Steiner…" A small smile broke across the maiden's features. "… hm, I thought I heard him yelling."_

_Beatrix released an acquiescent sigh. Her once peaceful heart, thought steeled from such emotions, broke further each and every day that she returned to her quarters in solitude, rousing nothing but respect dictated solely by fear from her subordinates. Raising her sullen, glassy eyes towards the river blue, a tumultuous wave of sorrow swept across her body as a soft breeze danced through her chocolate tresses. Falling endearingly over her shoulders, her signature curls bobbed to and fro, seeming to follow the heavy tide bearing on her heart as a fleeting peace ran throughout Alexandria._

_A peace, she feared, that was doomed to falter._

"_Alexandria finds herself at peace once more…" she sang, allowing her thoughts a rare moment of freedom as they fell from her tongue, filling her mind with questioning doubts that defiled all reason. "… But for how long? If times are indeed so wonderful, then…"_

_A bittersweet melody danced through her ears – the only recollection the warrior could discern of the mother whose loving embrace and compassionate eyes she'd never known. The voice danced across her mind, cloaking her in a cold tremble that held no sign of retreat._

"… _why is my heart filled with sorrow?"_

_The terrifyingly enchanting refrain lavished the maiden, stealing away any remaining images of peace as she found herself lost in the promise she could never keep to the mother whose voice was all she could remember. Thousands of pictures flashed before her of the blood she had spilled under the banner of Alexandria, the lives she had taken as punishment for having sworn fealty… and she all but failed to force forgiveness upon herself._

'Mother, I… I am a Rose of May… no longer…'

_A single, silent tear fell from the eye of the General as she swiped it away, desperate to maintain her façade of indomitable strength. A quick scanning of her surroundings, however, revealed nought but the strong brickwork of the stoned dock and the beautiful greens of the Alexandrian Castle's Gardens – rich green hedges and tall flowering trees overlooked the tainted river flowing through the town as a symphony of whistling fowl impregnated the air with only peaceful tidings. Beatrix quickly collected her thoughts, banishing them away to the darkest corners of her mind once again as she turned from the docks…_

_Until a small rustling caught her attention._

"_Hm?"_

_Turning to the stone steps that she had swayed from, a small envelope caught the attention of the single-eyed General, inching threateningly close to the water's edge. Gracefully making her way down the stairs to retrieve the small parcel, Beatrix placed inquisitive fingers upon the envelope, raising it to her features._

"_Steiner must have dropped this... Hmmm. Let's see…"_

_Turning the casing over, Beatrix found herself musing over the striking print of the cover: 'To My Love…'_

'"_To My Love?" Wh-what… could this mean…?'_

_In a rare moment of intense anxiety, the General allowed her impermeable walls to tumble downwards as she feverishly made for the flap of the envelope. Gliding a polished, pink fingernail across the seal, she hastily pulled the parchment from its cocoon of white, unfolding the paper and widening her eyes at the majestic beauty of the calligraphy presented before her._

'When the night sky wears the moon as its pendant, I shall await you at the dock.'

"_Wh-what… What is this!? Did… Steiner…?"_

_Beatrix's heart fluttered, breaking free from the steely confines forged so many years ago. The maiden, once thought to be forever bereft of such, found a moment of impossible euphoria that she prayed, with all her might, would not be as fleeting as the peace within her kingdom._

"… _Did Steiner write me a… a love letter?"_

_Completely uncaring of the tears suddenly welling within her eyes, the General allowed her heart its tetherless voyage into the skies as she turned to the last known direction the knight had headed. Fondly clutching the note to her chest as though it held the meaning to her existence, a breathless thought trickled over her lips as she agreed to meet the hero depicted within the minute verse._

"… _Steiner…"_

* * *

Zidane watched forlornly as Garnet glided out of her room, lavished in a beautiful shimmering white dress. After spending the previous day and night drinking heavily with Blank, Baku, Ruby and, of all people, Amarant, Zidane had allowed himself to fall into a false sense of security and believe that Garnet would never leave him. Reprimanding himself for believing in such fool's gold, a heavy sigh left Zidane's form as he blinked slowly, fighting with every fibre of his being to reopen his eyes as he coveted the form of everything he wanted - everything he'd _ever_ want - knowing that he was losing her. Garnet would never be his… not now. Even before, he was a fool to believe that the princess would ever see more in him than the lowly thief that he was. Now, she was soon to be named the Matriarch of Alexandria. This was the end of their journey. She'd never have need of Zidane again. His Canary would fly to the protective caging of his arms no longer.

"Thank you for coming, everyone," Garnet began, her voice sending static throughout Zidane's being. It had been months since he'd heard the ethereal symphony of the voice he so loved… of the _young woman_ that, for some reason, meant nothing less than the world to him. "It's absolutely wonderful to see you all again."

Eiko desperately grasped at words as her vocabulary was all but stolen from her. Although she had placed Dagger as her sworn rival, she couldn't help but admit defeat to her beauty… _just_ this once.

"… She looks… _beautiful…_" Eiko trilled, placing her hands to her lips as a wide smile erupted across the young summoners face. Vivi reiterated her statement, raising his moon-shaped eyes to Garnet.

"Wow… y-you look magnificent, D-Dagger!" the young mage called as Eiko smiled and nodded towards him. Even Freya couldn't take her eyes off the young soon-to-be-queen, smiling widely as she couldn't help but swell with pride.

"Splendid! Absolutely marvellous. Most becoming of your new title, your majesty," she exclaimed, turning to the only soul in the room who had yet to voice an opinion. "Wouldn't you agree, Zidane?"

Zidane remained silent as he continued to gaze towards Garnet, unable to find words to express his feelings _or_ the strength to hold back his suddenly glazed eyes. Garnet met the eyes of the distraught thief, absolutely sure that he felt the same as she did. She only wished to hear him say something - _anything_ – that could reiterate her unspoken emotions. She smiled warmly towards the thief who only flickered his eyes sadly and clenched his fists. Garnet blinked slowly, holding onto her tears as Steiner and Beatrix both bore concerned looks to the visually apprehensive youth.

"Zidane?"

Freya stepped forward, quickly followed by the inquisitive glances of Vivi and Eiko as she placed a hand to Zidane's shoulder.

"… Have you… _nothing_ to say?"

Zidane turned to Freya, granting her a view of the most heartbroken eyes she'd ever witnessed in her life before Zidane quickly attempted a mask of apathy. Returning to his beloved _Dagger_, however, immediately deteriorated his façade. Finding that he no longer held the will to meet her hazel eyes, Zidane bowed his head and…

'_Dagger, I… I don't want you to leave me… I… I love you and… and that's what I want to say…'_

… he admitted crippling defeat.

"… No."

A heavy silence rang throughout the room, echoing louder than even the most stern scolding from Steiner as Garnet found herself staggering her breath. What had happened to her Zidane? The charming thief that hit on her throughout the entirety of their journey together? No more bubbly, happy-go-lucky flirting, the absent cheekiness, not even a mischievous smile to be found… Garnet felt she may break down in tears at the very thought. All she wished was to see him smile.

'… _Zidane… please, just… ask me not to leave! Just TELL me that you… that you l-love me… just t-tell me…'_

Garnet found her hands trembling as she prepared to wrench the crown from her head and dash to her beloved, embracing him as though she'd never let him go again… until Steiner cautiously cleared his throat.

"Princess, we must go now."

Garnet turned to her guardian, wishing that he'd uttered anything other than his desire for the coronation to proceed unchanged. A harsh sigh left her lips, part in reprimand and part in realisation as she returned to…

"_Zidane…"_

Allowing herself one last glance to her happiness, Garnet slowly closed her eyes and turned to the long corridor.

"… Alright."

"Dagger! Wait!"

The tiny voice broke the silence as Eiko sped past Zidane, shooting him a dubious look before dashing up the stairs towards Garnet. As she engaged the princess in conversation, Zidane could do nothing but shake, silently rebuking himself for refraining from voicing his thoughts. Freya turned to him, unknowing as of yet why the thief had remained silent.

"Zidane… wh-why? This could be the last… time…"

And with that, the sudden realisation dawned upon the Burmecian as Zidane solemnly turned to her. This was the _last_ time that Zidane would see the princess. After her coronation, she wouldn't be allowed to see him whenever she willed it. Their adventure was at an end - Zidane was losing his beloved Dagger.

"Yeah, that's about right," Zidane said softly, lifting his gaze to Dagger and Eiko as the pair exchanged four jewels with each other.

"Two of my jewels…"

"And two of mine…"

Eiko cradled Garnet's gems just as Garnet gingerly held Eiko's. After exchanging one last heart-warming smile, Garnet stood, urged forward by a gentle hand from Beatrix.

"Goodbye, Eiko."

Not daring to return to Zidane in fear that she may cast caution to the wind and do something extremely unbecoming of a young queen, she allowed herself to follow Steiner's leave, closely followed by Beatrix. Zidane watched despairingly as Garnet's beautiful long brown hair disappeared into the grandiose halls of the palace… for the last time. Vivi inched towards the thief, questioning eyes darting towards his troubled visage.

"Zidane, why… why didn't you say anything to D-Dagger?"

Zidane couldn't force his gaze from the opening of the large corridor as he whispered a response.

"I… I don't know. I tried…"

Freya leaned forward as Eiko came dashing down the stairs, meeting Vivi's side as she looked on sadly towards the thief.

"… And?" the Burmecian quizzed, attempting to distil a longer response from the suddenly trembling youth. "What happened to-?"

* * *

"_I SAID I TRIED, ALRIGHT!?"_

Princess Garnet Til Alexandros glanced back towards the echoing voice.

"Z-Zidane!?"

Attempting a recoiling advance towards the distressed voice, Garnet's motions were brought to an abrupt halt as Beatrix placed a gentle but firm hand to Garnet's shoulder. Meeting the stern, yet somehow understanding, gaze of her General, Garnet was silently halted from her actions with a sad, slow shaking of Beatrix's head.

"Your majesty, we need to press on… I'm sorry."

Granting herself one last fleeting glimpse down the esteemed corridor, Garnet swallowed her emotions for the last time, finally realising that she… she could _never_ be with Zidane. She'd told Eiko only moments before…

"… _I won't be able to wander around the world with all of you any longer, but I promise – I'll never forget our journey together…"_

Garnet returned to Beatrix as she bowed her head.

"… Very well."

* * *

"I SAID I TRIED, ALRIGHT!?" Zidane exclaimed, partially hoping that his voice would travel to Garnet's ears and bring her racing back towards him and subsequently chastising himself for maintain foolish beliefs. Vivi, Eiko and Freya all cast completely shattered looks upon the frazzled youth as a mixture of pain, anger and devastation danced across his face.

"I couldn't say anything…" he divulged with a sigh, meeting the eyes of Freya who looked on with motherly concern. "A-a-and I had a whole speech ready for her, but it would have been a lie! How could I _lie_ to her!? 'Good luck, Dagger! I know you'll be a great queen. I'll be watching from afar, wishing you only the best. Come find me if you need anyone to talk to!' It's nothing but a big, fat _LIE!_ That's not how I feel at all! That's…"

Zidane lowered his eyes, releasing his suddenly clenched fists as memories of the first Chocobo hunt that Garnet had accompanied him on flashed before his eyes. For an ephemeral moment, he felt Garnet's arms clasp around his mid-section once more…

"… that's not how I feel… at all…"

* * *

"So, there's only room for _Dagger_ in Zidane's heart…"

Eiko tapped at the brickwork upon the dock, musing over every detail of the day - her love-letter to Zidane, the group's reactions to seeing Garnet before her coronation… and the absolute devastation that she was so evidently portrayed within the thief's face. Picking a small piece of crumbling brick from the top of the short wall, Eiko rolled it back and forth between her fingers as she released a loud sigh.

"I wish I'd never written that _stupid_ letter," she began, amusing herself with the small brick piece as her thoughts were filled with the depressed thief. "Zidane, he… he looked so _sad_… isn't there anything _I_ can do for him?"

Just as quickly as the sentence had fallen from her lips, Eiko suddenly narrowed her eyes, furrowing her brows as she exploded into an internal tantrum.

'_Anything I can DO for him!? Why would I want to help him win Dagger over!? He's the REASON I'm so… SO…!'_

"AAAAAAHHHH! Zidane!" cried Eiko, hurling the small brick piece over the stone ledge and jumping up and down furiously. "I _hate_ you, you insensitive _jerk!_ You don't even know how _I_ feel…"

Eiko sullenly kicked the ledge, strutting back and forth whilst keeping a sulking pout prominent upon her lips.

"… I'll feel bad about ditching him, but I really don't feel like seeing him tonight… I… I gotta hide before he shows up!"

Quickly darting to her left as the sudden sound of footsteps and low chatter claimed her ears, Eiko released a squeak of panic as she flailed her arms about.

"Shoot! Someone's coming! C-could it be… _Zidane!?_"

Quickly dashing down to the lower level of the Alexandrian dock, Eiko miraculously found a hiding spot just to the left of the short flight of stairs. The voices suddenly became louder as two figures hazed into view.

"Oh, by the way, how'd drinks with Zidane go? Any better?"

"Pfft, he got blind drunk, spouted something about Baku being his mother and then passed out. Nothin' really outta the ordinary, but he's taken it pretty rough."

Marcus shrugged as Blank quickly advanced forward to the centre of the top ledge where Eiko had been only moments ago. Looking around nervously, he fussed with his headband as he stomped a foot agitatedly. Marcus folded his arms, musing over Blank and his actions as he sighed.

"There's no one here, bro."

Blank grunted, folding his arms and continuing his agitated tapping.

"Tch… hmmm…"

Suddenly halting his compulsive stomping, a smile formed over his face as a revelation became him.

"Hah, guess I'm early..."

Marcus raised a brow, shaking his head.

"… Maybe, yeah… I wonder who wrote you that love letter?"

Blank reached into his pocket as Eiko squinted towards him, trying to see what the spiky-haired youth was collecting from his pocket. Pulling the small piece of parchment into plain view, Eiko gasped as she saw the letter that she'd written to Zidane clasped firmly in his hands.

'_Wh-what? That's… that's the letter! MY letter! That big fat bozo gave my letter to some spiky-haired dweeb instead of Zidane! Ooo, the nerve of him! When I find him, I'll… I'LL…!'_

"Well… just read the letter," Blank suggested, extending it towards Marcus who lifted an objecting hand. "I'll bet she's beautiful!

Whilst still incredibly upset that her letter had not gone to the person that she intended, Eiko still managed to get a small kick out of the compliment.

'_Well, he's got THAT right, tehe!'_ she thought, beaming at Blank's comment as Marcus began to laugh.

"Really? Bro, are you sure you didn't write it yourself? Oh wait, that's right - you _caught_ the letter falling from the floor above you, right?" he jibed, rolling his eyes and performing finger quotations upon the word 'caught'. Clearly not appreciating his sarcastic remark _or_ what Marcus was insinuating, Blank waved a fist angrily towards the man as he fired up.

"Of course I didn't write the stinkin' letter! I'm tellin' ya, she was just too shy to hand it to me herself! A-and if you think I'm not a ladies man, then you can think again!" he shouted, grunting distastefully as Marcus shook his head amusedly. "Chicks are intimidated by good-looking guys. That's why-"

"Blank, someone's coming!" Marcus quickly cut off, pointing towards the entrance of the castle as a figure loomed from the shadows. Blank, however, had other matters to attend to.

"Marcus! Don't interrupt me while I'm talking!" he shouted, shaking his fist towards Marcus who quickly took off down to the lower level of the dock.

"_Would you get your dumb ass down here!?"_ he called through gritted teeth as Blank suddenly darted to his left, catching sight of the growing figure and swiftly bolting after his friend. As the figure steadily drew closer, the noisy clanking of partially rusted armour echoed throughout the docks, immediately cluing in the three hiding figures as to who the silhouette belonged to.

"Oh, great, it's that knight again…" Blank mumbled, poking his head just high enough over the edge of the stairs to see. Marcus released a breathy chuckle as a thought occurred to him.

"Hah! There you go, bro! Your _beautiful lady_ awaits you at the dock!"

Blank narrowed his eyes, turning to his brother and bopping him atop the head with a clenched fist.

"_Come off it, you moron!" _Blank hissed, reaching into his pocket. "There's _no way_ that the knight could have-"

Blank's heart suddenly stopped as he fumbled around in his pocket. Reaching into his other pocket, panic suddenly consumed him as he began to pat his body up and down maniacally. Eiko tried her hardest to supress a bought of laughter where she sat, watching amusedly as Blank continued to slap himself.

"No, no, no,_ no, NO!_" he whispered, darting around him as he slapped a hand to his forehead. Marcus leaned over to him.

"What's the matter? 'Fraid I might be _right?_" he teased as Blank released a muffled groan and pointed to the upper level of the dock.

"_I dropped the stupid letter up there, didn't I!?"_

Marcus toppled over in a gut-bursting fit of wheezing breathes as Blank shook his head, chastising his own stupidity with repeated poundings of his head to the stone blocks of the dock. The symphony of clanks performed a sudden crescendo as Captain Adelbert Steiner noisily hazed into view, quickly darting around the dock.

"I must tighten up security around the castle from now on!" he exclaimed, performing a salute to his phrase as Eiko looked up bemusedly. "Dusk to dawn, rain to shine… No matter the squall, I must patrol the castle!"

Steiner craned to the right.

"Right, clear!"

Steiner craned to the left.

"Left, clear!"

Steiner craned to the-

_***Crinkle!***_

"Huh?"

Steiner lifted his boot, noting a small letter unknowingly trampled across the ground. He quickly retrieved the letter as Blank slapped a palm to his face, rousing further wheezing snickers from Marcus and Eiko.

"A piece of paper…? No, this looks like a letter. Let's see…"

Steiner opened the letter, perusing the beautiful verse that Eiko had written completely unbeknownst to Steiner as his mind ran impromptu.

'When the night sky wears the moon as its pendant, I shall await you at the dock.'

"M-m-my goodness! This… this is a _love letter!_ Who wrote it to whom!?"

Steiner traced over the entirety of the parchment, wondering who the letter was from… and to whom it was intended.

"No address, no addressee… Did someone drop it here, knowing that I would pass by? C-could it be… Could it _possibly_ have been…?"

"Steiner…"

Steiner, along with Eiko, Blank and Marcus, all turned to the gentle voice that emerged from the shadows. Beatrix's beautiful form shone brightly under the moonlight as words all but failed Steiner, forming an absolution under the current circumstances.

"B-Beatrix… did… you-?"

An ethereal smile broke across the General's face as she slowly advanced towards Steiner. As Steiner slowly edged towards Beatrix, Eiko leaned forward eagerly, awaiting the beautiful scene that was soon to take place.

"_O-oh my goodness! Are they… Are they in love!?"_

Blank and Marcus also leaned forward, eagerly watching the scene awaiting to unfold!

"B-Bro…" whispered Marcus, suddenly dabbing his nose as Blank condoned him.

"Shh! Keep quiet!"

Beatrix and Steiner finally met, barely inches from each other as Beatrix placed a gentle hand upon Steiner's broad jawline.

"Steiner…" she whispered, drawing her painted nails underneath his chin as the captain gasped softly, seeming bereft of breath.

"Beatrix…"

Eiko practically leapt onto the brick railings of the stairs to peek behind the feature on the top ledge, just making out the form of Steiner and Beatrix inching closer and closer. Blank and Marcus also emerged, finding themselves practically pulling themselves over the railings just as Eiko was before Marcus ducked downwards.

"_B-Blank! M-my nose is bleeding…!"_

"_Well shove your stupid fingers up there! I ain't missin' this!"_

Marcus jammed two fingers up his nose, assuring to stem the bleeding as he took to Blank's side, eagerly awaiting the unfolding theatrics. As the three looked on, Steiner raised a hand to Beatrix's face, brushing her auburn curls from her cheek and revealing the nape of her delicate neck. A fervent shiver trailed up her spine as Beatrix rushed her hands to his brow, removing the knight's helmet and working wanting fingers into his short dark hair. A breath of a moment; a careless flickering to each other's eyes and Beatrix pulled Steiner's lips to hers, tearing down the walls of loneliness and erupting a burning desire within the two battle-hardened warriors. Steiner's helmet clattered loudly, falling from the General's hand as Eiko internally shrieked with excitement. Even Blank and Marcus found a moment of childish delight within the enchanting moment as Steiner and Beatrix delved deeper into their moonlight romance. Weaving an arm around her lower back, Steiner pulled the General towards him, stirring a gentle moan from the beautiful woman as she threw her arms around his neck, unwilling to allow her happiness to escape her… ever again.

"This… This is _beautiful! Awww, I just wanna hug them!" _whispered Eiko, clambering up the steps and peaking around the ledge, watching excitedly as Steiner and Beatrix swayed within each other's arms. Steiner and Beatrix soon broke from each other, taking a momentary pause as Beatrix trailed fingers down the back of Steiner's now-exposed crown. A dashing smile befell the knight as Beatrix reclaimed her breath, pressing a hand to her chest in an attempt to still her racing heartbeat.

"Steiner… h-how long have you-?"

"Clearly, too long," the knight replied, brushing gentle fingers past the General's cheek as she flickered her dark eyes towards the man - and the happiness - that she had coveted for so long. The joyous dream that she had barred her heart from hoping for had finally blossomed into a beautiful reality as Steiner cleared his throat, completely unbelieving of finally having his _own_ fantasies realised. A definitive moment of panic bolted through his system as Steiner met the eyes of his beloved, unwilling to allow this beautiful moment to end with but a kiss.

"B-Beatrix, when does _your_ _-ahem!"_ Steiner found a definite crackle in his voice, realising his utter light-headedness but holding firm to his intentions. "… When does your watch end?"

A gentle smile washed across her face as she pushed her lips to his once more before rising to her toes, touching whispers of sound across his ear.

"… Two hours ago."

Those three words unfastened any remaining apprehensions from Steiner as all plausible thought emptied from his mind. Finding himself completely forgetting his newly sworn patrol, Steiner pressed his lips to Beatrix's once more, rousing a fleeting moment of courageousness from within himself. Breaking from the General for just a moment, Steiner swiftly bent down, collected his helmet and returned to Beatrix with extremely red cheeks. Replacing the helmet upon himself and darting from his surroundings to the General, Steiner took Beatrix's hand in his own, turning to the castle as a smile befell his features.

"The cloak of night will protect us 'til dawn," he stated, turning to the woman as her eye shimmered in the moonlight. "We haven't much time. Beatrix… d-do you… i-if you… _w-would_ you-!"

Silencing the stammering Captain with another firm lip-lock, Beatrix fastened her hands unto the neck of his chest-plate and wrenched him towards herself, throwing the knight off balance and answering his unfinished question without the need of words. Unyielding strength held him fast to her as Steiner adequately grasped the concept – Beatrix had been waiting many, _many_ years for this.

"I will see the dawn, Steiner…" she spoke, breaking from Steiner as Eiko practically burst with anticipation, "and I will see it gladly… if you only permit my stay by your side_._"

With words no longer needed, Steiner clasped Beatrix's hand tightly, unwilling to release his newfound happiness as he lead her quickly from the dock. Soon after breaking into an enthusiastic sprint, Beatrix's heart soared as she turned to the man that had freed her steeled emotions from her prison… and she realised that he no longer looked upon her with competitive distaste. No longer was she simply a threat to his career, a senior-ranking officer or an object that desired to be surpassed…

A tear left her eye as she smiled, realising that Adelbert Steiner's eyes held only admiration, sanctuary and… and _love _for her.

Love… for _her_.

"Awww man! Th-that was just b-beautiful… I don't think I _-*sniff!*-_ got that emotional the first time I saw 'I want to be your Canary'!"

As the Captain and General dashed out of sight, Blank pulled himself onto the upper level of the right side of the dock, wiping his nose as Marcus blew his nose loudly.

"Geez… y'know, at first I really didn't wanna come with you tonight, Bro," Marcus began, lifting himself up as Eiko, unbeknownst to the two young men, danced about in a circle to the left of the stone railing, "but now… I mean, c'mon! I think I just saw the greatest love story the world will ever know!"

"You're dang right you did!"

Marcus and Blank whipped around, meeting the tiny frame of Eiko Carol as she danced about happily, dashing over to the letter that Steiner had dropped in his excitement. Blank quickly turned to the youth and pointed.

"Hey! Gimme that back! It's mine!" he demanded, holding a hand out towards the young girl who poked her tongue at the youth.

"This letter isn't _yours,_ it's _mine!"_ Eiko cried, clutching the parchment to her chest. "I'm the one who wrote it, and it just so happens that _this_ letter has helped me orchestrate the romance of the century!"

Eiko pointed happily to the note as Blank released an irritated sigh.

"Look, kid, I dunno wha-!"

A thought occurred to Blank as Eiko folded the paper and placed it into her overalls.

"… Wait… you mean…"

A horrible realisation befell Blank, Marcus found himself clapping a hand to his mouth as he wheezed another heavy bought of laughter.

"_You mean to tell me that YOU wrote that letter!?"_

Eiko scrunched up her nose, jumping angrily at the bewildered Blank as Marcus turned from the scene to hide his laughter.

"Of course I did! Who else do ya think could write a love letter like this?" Eiko called, producing the folded paper and pointing to it. "This is nothing less than _pure romantic genius_!"

Blank slapped a hand to his face as he realised that he'd been led astray… by a _child._ Marcus howled with laughter as Blank turned from Eiko who promptly returned the letter to her overalls.

"… I need a friggin' drink."

"H-HAH! W-wait 'til the rest of the group hears about th-this!"

Marcus and Blank quickly ambled off, heading straight to Ruby's theatre to find a drink heavy enough to allow the latter to forget this night _ever_ happened.

"Hmph! Who were those creeps anyway?" Eiko thought, tilting her head sideways as she followed their movements until they left her sights… and other thoughts quickly filled her mind.

"Oh well!"

Eiko Carol beamed as she happily hugged her arms to herself once more, suddenly remembering the events of the night. Breaking into a girlish smile as she turned towards the doors of the Alexandrian castle, Eiko smiled as thoughts of the blossoming romance swept about her mind like a hurricane, pausing on the exact moment when Beatrix's lips met Steiner's.

"Awww! Wasn't that just the _cutest?_"

* * *

Now, perhaps not the _most _romantic ending, but I just came to the realisation that having Steiner sweep Beatrix off her feet and carry her into the night just seemed so… well, _unlikely_. I mean, the guy is _hopeless_ at love! Having said that, I honestly and _dearly_ wished that Beatrix could have been described more as a character. Because she has little to no back story, my own assumptions and such have shone through, describing and detailing her actions and a _slight_ part of her history as I would have seen it. I honestly think she is incredible and the romance between the two (Beatrix and Steiner) just isn't touched on enough for my liking. And Baku is a douche-bag for ruining the last scene. Anyways, that was my rendition of "how it should have happened" with this tender little scene from FFIX, so I hope you all enjoyed it!

Oh, btw, yes. I _know_ Beatrix has the eye patch, but she still has two eyes - well, in my mind at least – so I write her as such… with things like "tears left her eyes" or "he turned to her eyes". I like to think that the other eye had just been blinded from a previous injury, so it still moves about in tandem with her other, weeps, blinks etc etc etc… Eh. I love Beatrix. What can I say?

However, now I'm _really_ going away for a while XD

Good writing to all, and I'll see you in three weeks!

_**LS.**_


	11. The Things I Do

**Author's note: Well hey howdy hey! Bloody hell, what a trip! It was long, awesome, exotic… everything an island cruise should be. Three weeks well spent, if I must say so. Got some awesome song ideas as well, so hell frikkin' yeah! Anyways, let's get back into what you guys actually **_**want **_**to read – the next few chapters of "More Than Riches"!**

**Point of interest, Freya's come along again :D**

**Call it being selfish… but I don't want her in Alexandria. Steiner and Beatrix can have some alone time ;)**

**Set just before the party find Fossil Roo. Chapter inspired by Bobby Corwen ^-^**

* * *

"RUN!"

After taking their leave from Lindblum, a series of wrong turns and poor instinctual direction had found Zidane, Garnet, Vivi and Freya dashing along a large and steep cliff face after coming face to face with one of the most dangerous animals known to Gaia: The Grand Dragon. A neglected map had consequently incurred a small detour around "Fossil Roo", leading the party instead to Gizamaluke's Grotto. After dashing past the decaying walls of the entrance, finding their way into a small chamber and ignoring a nervous warning from Moguta, the thief, princess, dragoon knight and black mage had ascended the vines in the Moogle's room to Popo's Heights… and that spur-of-the-moment decision quickly turned into critical regret.

"Zidane! What are you-"

"For fuck sake, Freya, _please!_ Just take Dagger and Vivi and _RUN!"_

A piercing roar tore through the air as the party fell to the ground, clapping their hands to their ears as crippling panic took its toll. Zidane had taken as much damage as he could after reviving young Vivi with his last remaining 'phoenix down', thereafter sending everyone else towards the grotto as he did his best to serve as a distraction. The dragon swiped towards the thief, only narrowly missing him as Zidane cursed loudly whilst Freya ran towards the grotto with Vivi and Garnet fast in tow. Another terrible bellow sent a bolt of fear through the party as Freya, Garnet and Vivi clambered into the thick forest as flocks of Garuda's furiously fluttered to and fro – even the terribly strong fowl feared the rage of an angered Grand Dragon. Swiping a path through the thick bushes and growth, Freya ordered Vivi to dash ahead and clamber down the vines of the grotto's entry as Garnet turned to the entrance of the forest. Zidane burst through a towering pair of pine trees, scrambling through the thick as an explosion behind him ripped the foliage asunder.

"Zidane! _Z-Zidane!_" cried Garnet, turning despairingly towards the thief as she launched a cure spell from her racquet. Zidane protested loudly, waving frantically as electricity began to crackle within the advancing dragon's mouth.

"Dagger, forget it! Just GO!"

Absolute terror avalanched through the princess as she gazed upon the dragon's form, lifting its head through the straying branches as Freya latched onto Garnet's arm.

"Princess, _please!_ We MUST go!" she pleaded as Garnet turned to her as adamantly as she could.

"I'm not going without Zidane!"

"My apologies, but I _was not asking!_"

Against the princess' wishes, Freya lifted Garnet onto her shoulder as Vivi's trembling hat disappeared into the small opening. Dashing after the small mage, Freya stole a fleeting glance back towards the acrobating thief, dodging swipe after swipe from the giant beast as he yelped in panic. A moment of slack footing caught up with Zidane as he tripped and stumbled on a raised root, granting him just enough time to turn towards the enemy before a hefty claw connected to his side, sending him flying through the forest with a large gouge in his chest. Zidane cursed again as he collided with the trunk of a large tree, falling to the floor and hacking up a mouthful of blood as he wrenched his eyes open. As he forced himself up and pressed a hand to his bloodied sternum, Freya and Garnet both abandoned his orders and darted towards him.

"ZIDANE!"

The thief shot a disbelieving glance towards the two as he staggered towards them, attempting to wave them back to the entrance.

"Are you both _deaf!?_ If you don't get into the grotto now, that thing's gonna-"

"_E-E-EVERYONE, L-LOOKOUT!"_

Vivi shrieked as he poked his head out of the entrance to the Grotto, pointing towards the rearing dragon as the lightning surrounding its jaws intensified. Swiftly forgetting his pains, Zidane turned to Freya and Garnet, dashing towards them and taking hold of either of their hands. Rushing the two to the Grotto entrance, Zidane released Freya as the knight leapt onto the vines after Vivi. Sending Garnet after Freya only seconds before a deafening blast of lightning crackled behind him, Zidane's darkened silhouette was sent hurtling away once more as surrounding trees caught ablaze, uprooting themselves and revealing an almost direct path to the grotto entrance. Garnet shrieked, reaching out of the entrance towards Zidane as the smouldering thief barely lifted himself from the ground, his form bereft of all energy.

"_ZIDANE!"_

Before Garnet could push herself from the opening and dash to Zidane's side, one final roar pierced the air as the princess collapsed out of the entrance, dropping her racquet and clasping her hands to her ears. Daring an eye open towards the deafening screech, Garnet found the towering from of the dragon swipe away two large trees, revealing the terrifyingly masculine form of what appeared to be her final hour. Never, _ever_ had she imagined her end to show itself in such a horrifying way – and so _soon!_ Garnet rose, shaking, to meet the smoking jaws of the legendary beast, finding herself awaiting the same fate that Zidane had suffered upon entering the Grand Dragon's territory – a devastating 'Thundaga' attack. Crackling lightning burst over the mountains as Garnet's lips fell open to release her final scream. A tremulous stomping, a blinding light and a virulent sparking stole all remaining hope from the princess before she closed her eyes to a harsh impact against her, sending her back into the Grotto. Garnet felt her insides tighten as she attempted to grip onto the vines, missing by scarce inches and gasping before a blood-curdling howl of pain sliced through the air, almost stopping her heart.

"Princess!"

A thunderous explosion sounded as the princess was catapulted from the vines, landing atop Freya with a loud thump as the Moogle couple scattered about worriedly. Vivi fluttered around the two, waving his arms about like an up-turned beetle.

"F-Freya, Dagger! Are you alright!?" the young mage squeaked as Garnet lifted herself from Freya with a loud cry of surprise.

"F-Freya, I'm sorry! Are you alright?" she asked, repeating Vivi's question as she attempted to push a cure spell from her hands. Finding herself unable to summon the magic power to perform even a basic spell, Garnet gasped as Freya lifted herself from the floor, waving off the attempt with a less than confident remark.

"I'm fine, your highness. Don't worry about m-_WAIT!_ Where's _Zidane!?"_

As a terrifying chill cloaked the party, they turned to the winding and singed vines, noting a barely comprehensible movement from the top.

"E-E-Everyone… _ -*ngh!*-_ o-ok?"

A final staggered breath escaped the thief as he lost his grip from the vines. Garnet watched as the bloodied form of Zidane fell to the floor with a horrific 'thump' as his swallow blade noisily clattered off to the side. Zidane released a muffled groan as Garnet, Vivi and Freya staggered to his side.

"O-o-oh my _GOD!_ Z-Zidane!"

Blood fell in minute rivers from the thief's dilapidated chest as Garnet kneeled beside him. Panicking as she darted to the thief's bloodied chest, Garnet once again attempted to gather magic for a 'cure' spell.

"D-Dagg-er… y-you're… ok…" he said, lazily placing a hand to the princess' shoulder as Garnet failed to push the spell from her hands. Exhausted, she fell to all fours beside the delirious thief, gasping for air and closing her eyes.

"Y-your racquet got d-destroyed… we'll _-*ugh!*-_ h-have to get you a… another one…"

"Z-Zidane, please, stop speaking! Just… just try to _relax_," begged Garnet, unsure whether the suggestion was focused more to herself or the trembling thief. The princess lifted her aching body, returning to Zidane's side and trying again and again to cast the spell with scarce further success.

"D-D-Dagger! Wh-what's going on!? Why isn't Z-Zidane moving? You c-cast the spell, right!?" cried Vivi, unable to focus on one question as his 'big brother' lay motionless on the floor. Tears began escaping the princess' eyes as she darted over the ragged form of Zidane, unwilling to halt her attempts to heal him as the thief's eyes began to roll upwards.

"I-I can't cast the spell!" she cried, turning desperately to Freya who furiously dug her hands into the groups travel bags. "I-I have no magic power left… I can't… _Zidane!_"

"I-it's ok, D-Dagger…" Zidane mused, glazed eyes darting around the group as a less-than-confident smile formed across his cracked lips, "j-just a potion a-and I'll _-*hack!*-_ b-be fine…"

Freya irately threw her own bag across the room as she darted to Zidane. A coarse smile spread across Zidane's face as he placed a weak hand on Garnet's thigh.

"Th-the things I do for p-pretty _-*cough!*-_ girls… h-hah…"

"You idiot!" Freya cried, picking up Zidane's travel-bag and storming over to the motionless thief. "You stupid, irrational _fool!_ You _always_ have to act the hero, don't you!?"

Freya's reprimanding echoed loudly through the halls of the Grotto as knelt by Zidane's side, pushing his bag underneath his head she attempted to gather her own magic. Vivi crouched low, panicking over Zidane's lifeless body as Freya gritted her teeth, failing again and again to push a healing magic from her exhausted hands.

"Rrr, it's no use!" she cried, attempting again and again to perform the spell. "I can't use Reis's Wind and we've no ethers _or_ potions! Goddamnit, Zidane!"

Zidane attempted to heave himself up, succeeding only in making matters worse as he cried out in pain, rousing a panicked squeak from Garnet and Vivi as Freya and Garnet eased him back to the ground.

"Aaaah! Wh-wh-where's my b-bag!?" cried Vivi, turning from the thief and dashing towards his own bag as Freya turned to the flailing mage.

"There's nothing there, Vivi! I checked them all. We lost almost everything we couldn't hold when we fled from Alexandria!"

Vivi whirled around in exasperated panic as he ran about the room, flapping his arms like an injured bird and stuttering terribly.

"B-b-but Zidane m-might _die!_ W-we have to be able t-t-to d-do _something!?_"

"Perhaps we can help, kupo?"

Vivi, Garnet and Freya all whipped around to the timid response, finding two Moogles, Moguta and Mogmi, standing just past the entrance to the room. Immediately recognising them, Garnet reached toward the Moogles, pleading with her gentle eyes.

"Please, _please_ do! If there is _anything_ you can do for him, I'd be forever in your debt!" she cried, darting between the two Moogles as they lifted themselves into the air. Slowly making their way towards the weary travellers, the Moogle couple quickly surveyed the bloodied form of Zidane. Garnet, Vivi and Freya reluctantly recoiled from the thief as Mogmi landed beside him, tottering up and down his body and sniffing over him as Moguta placed an ear to his neck. After assumedly careful observation, Mogmi gasped and flailed about.

"_Kupo!_"

"Wh-what's wrong!?" Vivi piped up, dashing to the side of the small animal. Moguta turned towards him as Mogmi became airborne once more and fluttered over Zidane's body.

"This person has been poisoned, badly, kupo!" Mogmi squeaked, frantically darting around the group. "He's very, _very_ sick! He needs antidotes and _lots_ of ku-potions!"

Garnet was the first to burst into panic-stricken tears as Zidane's breathing slowly weakened into gasping, strained wheezes.

"N-n-no! I-I don't… we have no antidotes or potions! I-Isn't there anything you can do for him!?" cried Garnet, breaking into hysterics as Zidane heaved more blood through his gritted teeth. Moguta poked a finger to his head for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.

"Hmmm…! KUPO!"

Every eye turned to the thoughtful Moogle as he turned to Mogmi.

"Sweetheart, don't we have a special kind of ku-potion at home?"

Suddenly instilled with enthused realisation, Mogmi nodded towards him intently.

"Of course! Darling, that special ku-potion we found!"

Moguta turned from Mogmi towards Garnet, smiling happily as Vivi and Freya looked on anxiously.

"We found a special potion, kupo, after you guys came here last time! It was a strange blueish colour, so we asked Stiltzkin about it on his way through. He said it's an… ummm…"

"A lickster potion!"

"A _what!?_" Freya cried doubtfully, darting between the Moogles at the absolute absurdity of the supposed title. "A… _lickster potion!?_"

Mogmi flailed about above Zidane, apprehensively landing to his side and approaching the Burmecian.

"Th-that's what he said it was - a lickster potion!" she squeaked, slightly ducking behind Moguta. "A-apparently, they're so powerful, you can't even buy them!"

Freya shook her head angrily, growing more desperate by the second.

"We have no time for games! There's no such thing as a-"

"Freya!" called Garnet, thankfully able to divulge the Moogles intended meaning as the Burmecian turned to her. "An _elixir!_ That's what they meant! They must have found an elixir here!"

"Yeah, that's what it is! The… ah, lickster potion!" replied Moguta, turning to the princess. "I'm sure we can help your friend…"

Garnet turned to the Moogle, spiking a glimmer of hope within her stomach as she clasped her hands around his.

"Y-you can? Really?"

Moguta smiled towards the princess, his tiny wings fluttering happily as Mogmi turned to him, glaring suspiciously.

"Sure!… if you give me a Kupo Nut, kupo!"

_***WHACK!***_

"KUP-OUCH!"

Mogmi swiftly smacked her tiny hand across the back of Moguta's head, rousing a recoiling fall and 'eep' from the princess. Gingerly smoothing a hand back and forth over the now prominent red mark, Moguta turned towards a seething Mogmi, forcing a recoiling step with her blatantly venomous gaze.

"KUPO! All you think about is stinking Kupo Nuts! These kind people need your help! They're _NOT_ here to feed you, fatty! So, kupo, if you don't get off your big fat butt and help them, _kupo,_ I'm going to _throw YOU up into Popo's Heights and seal the_ _kupo!… _I mean_ ENTRANCE!_ NOW HURRY UP AND GO GET THE LICKSTER POTION, _KU-PHEEHH!"_

Quickly changing his visage from pain to fear, Moguta quickly squeaked out a panicked 'kupo' before dashing off towards a small recess within a crumbling wall of the Grotto. Garnet turned slowly towards Mogmi who continued to flutter about agitatedly, mildly concerned at how to approach the flustered Moogle. The princess couldn't help but feel, although she was grateful, that the outburst was rather unbecoming of such a usually timid creature. Nevertheless, an appropriate thank-you was in order.

"Ummm… Th-thank you, Mogmi…" Garnet said hesitantly, praying that she wouldn't spark a reaction like the one she'd only just witnessed. Slightly surprised at the voice, Mogmi turned towards the princess, quickly replacing her angry leer with a warm smile.

"Oh, that's ok, kupo! Sorry about all the fuss. Moguta sometimes needs a kick in the pants, kupo, but don't worry! We will be able to help your friend, kupo-kupo!"

The Moogle quickly tottered to Garnet's side, placing a hand against the shoulder of the kneeling princess.

"Just try to keep him comfy until Moguta gets back, okay?"

With that sentence, Mogmi quickly turned to the entrance, awaiting the return of Moguta as Garnet quickly ambled to the insentient form of Zidane. Kneeling beside him and lifting his head from his deflated travel bag to her lap, the princess gently stroked her fingers through his hair, taking the thief's hand in her own as he continued to struggle for air. Garnet gingerly darted to the large wound on his chest as Zidane's eyes slowly began to flicker closed.

"D-Dagger… _ugh_, I-I'm s… so tire…d…"

"N-no!" the princess cried, tightening her grip on his hand and running nervous, careful fingers through his thick hair. "Z-Zidane, y-you have to stay awake, ok? J-just for a little while, th-then we'll all go to sleep, just not right now, ok?"

Zidane managed a smile as Garnet frantically darted over his body, resting her gaze on his tail as he weakly squeezed her hand.

"A… alright. J-just for a… l-little while…"

Watching as the very tip of Zidane's tail began to flick upwards, Garnet smiled, calming herself as she ran her thumb over the thief's dampened forehead, willing the courage to meet his fading eyes.

"Just for a little while, Zidane…"

"W-w-w-we have a p-problem, k-kupo!"

Garnet darted panic-stricken eyes towards Moguta as the Moogle flailed back into the room. Mogmi quickly met his side, sniffing around him.

"Where's the lickster potion?" she asked quickly, meeting his eyes as Moguta shook his head.

"Th-there's monsters in the t-tunnel! Scary monsters!"

A silence ran through the group as Freya felt a nerve pinch in her forehead. Standing, she stormed from Zidane's side over to the panicking Moogle.

"Monsters? _Monsters?!_ WE kill monsters on a daily basis! Are you trying to tell me that you can't make your way passed a few monsters? Our friend is _dying_, Moguta! We need that blasted-"

"F-Freya, you wait here with Dagger and Zidane! I'm going with Moguta!"

Widening her eyes in surprise, Freya turned to the small voice as Vivi quickly collected his Oak Staff, holding it sternly as the Burmecian stared worriedly towards him.

"Vivi… are you sure?"

Vivi turned worriedly towards Zidane, watching him breathe through gritted teeth. Pulling his hat over his head once more, he returned to Freya with a confident nod.

"M-my big brother's life is on the line – I've never been more sure in my l-life, so you just make sure Zidane and D-Dagger stay safe!"

Turning to Moguta, Vivi clutched at his staff again and nodded.

"Let's go!"

Freya watched concernedly as Vivi and Moguta dashed off into the stoned walls of the Grotto. Praying for the young mage's safety as she swiftly turned to her spear, Freya made her way towards her weapon, collected it and then returned briskly to Garnet's side.

"W-will he be alright?"

Kneeling beside the young princess, Freya met her concerned hazel eyes with a small smile before returning to the winding tunnel that Vivi and Moguta had disappeared through.

"Zidane is the closest thing to family that Vivi has," she began, nodding in confidence and returning to Zidane, placing a motherly hand gently to his shoulder. "He won't let that go easily."

* * *

"Th-there they are!"

After making their way through the Grotto, Vivi and Moguta found themselves standing in a large, musty room, just mere metres before the Moogles' tunnel… and the reason for Moguta's apprehensions. Vivi pulled at his hat, noting the group of Skeletons and Lamias making their way to and from the tunnel with vicious grunts, seeming to be continuously attempting to gain entry.

"Kupo! What if they're trying to get to the lickster potion!? We'll never get it back from them!" Moguta squeaked worriedly, floundering about as Vivi peeked out from underneath his wide brim.

"O-oh, no! Th-there's so… so many…! Z-Zidane, wh-what if I…"

Quickly turning back down the room he came from, a sudden courage flared within the young mage's heart, stirring a strident battle-cry as Vivi tugged on his hat and raised his staff to the heavens.

"I-I won't let you down, Zidane!"

Dashing forwards as Moguta squealed in panic (again), Vivi gathered his magic power, widening his attack range to target the group of Skeletons and Lamias.

"Fira!"

A fountain of flames exploded from the centre of the group of enemies as the lamias swiftly ducked away, screeching loudly as the skeletons danced about the room, slapping out straying embers that flared across their tunics. As every eye of the newly enraged enemy turned towards the tiny mage, Vivi suddenly found the fleeting moment of courage coursing through him to be exactly that – fleeting. Robbed of his self-assured aggression, the young mage took scarce few recoiling steps backwards before the two Lamia slithered behind him with terrifying speed, blocking any hope of retreat as Moguta took to the air.

"AAAAAH! VIVI, KUPO-PO! I-I CAN'T GO BACK WITHOUT YOU, M-MOGMI WILL _KILL _ME!"

Watching on despairingly and clearly not planning on being a hero, Moguta wailed about in the air as the young mage pulled fearfully on the brim of his hat, meeting the hungry gaze of the large snake-like foes. Whirling around to the opposing side of the spectrum, Vivi gasped as the group of skeletons began a threatening advance. Darting between the skeletons and lamias, Vivi lost the chance to release one final shriek as the leading skeleton released a loud cry and lunged for him. Landing atop and flooring the mage, the leader shrieked in confident triumph which caused skeleton after skeleton to join the pile, rendering Vivi immobile as the lamias began to circle their soon-to-be banquet. Moguta darted fearfully to the entrance, ready to dash back to retrieve someone else to come and save the poor mage before a shrill cry resonated throughout the room.

"_Get off me, you scumbags!"_

A brilliant swirl of fire erupted from the dog-piled group of enemies as a chorus of their piercing screeches echoed throughout the Grotto. A second wheel of flames burst from a dazzling blue light as the remaining skeletons were definitively incinerated, falling to lifeless, hollow bone fragments and littering the room with dull 'thunking' sounds. Emerging from the centre of the group of enemies, Vivi Ornitier found the familiar feeling of unimaginable power surging through his tiny body. The young mage had laid claim to the legendary form of which only a select few can boast – the ultimate power of Trance. Giving the young mage an astounding cerulean aura as his trance began to take a firm and well-founded hold, Vivi thrust his staff threateningly before him, aimed at the two remaining Lamias. The tiny mage's form grew inarguably fierce as the piercing crackle of scattered lightning bolts bounded mischievously across the walls. As the two scaly enemies darted about the room, the young mage deftly whirled his weapon about as the lightning culminated atop his staff, sending straying sparks and electricity around him before Vivi pushed the staff towards the two enemies.

"Thundara!"

An explosion of electricity burst from Vivi's staff, connecting with the Lamias as their bodies began to writhe spastically. As Moguta shielded his tiny eyes from the violent sparking and crackling, Vivi's deadly attack soon dissipated, revealing the cindered and trembling forms of his enemies as both lamias released their dying wails. As soon as the scaly foes hit the cold stone pathway, Vivi turned urgently towards Moguta.

"C'mon, Moguta! Zidane needs that lickster po-_ah_, I mean _elixir!_" he cried, pointing towards the small opening that was now free from swarming enemies. Moguta performed an ecstatic mid-air front flip as he lined towards the tunnel.

"Wow, kupo! You really showed them, Vivi! I'll be right back!"

With that, the Moogle quickly landed and dashed off into the minute tunnel. Vivi released a contented breath as he turned to the enemies that he'd just overcome, noting an unfamiliar buzzing within his belly. As Vivi's eyes widened, he was hit with a sudden realisation as, for the first time in his life, a feeling of pride rose from within the tiny mage – he was _proud_ of himself!

"W-wow… I-I can't believe I actually _did that!_ Wait 'till Zidane hears about th-"

"WAAAAAH!"

Faster than he'd ventured in, Moguta came flailing out of the opening, pointing despairingly towards the tunnel as Vivi dashed towards him.

"M-Moguta, what's wrong!? They haven't already taken the-"

"Th-there's one more monster in the tunnel! I-I c-can't get in!"

Quickly dashing towards the tunnel, Vivi crouched low and ducked his head inside the narrow opening, quickly scrutinizing the form of the blockage – A small, bright red, spiky toad-like… thing.

"… It's a Hedgehog Pie," Vivi replied dubiously, staring towards the minute enemy as it jumped and squawked about.

"Th-that's d-dangerous!" Moguta reiterated, unaware of the sudden and unbecoming anger rising within the tiny mage. "He'd eat me up for-"

"_MY BIG BROTHER IS GOING TO DIE AND YOU'RE WORRIED ABOUT A STUPID LITTLE HEDGEHOG PIE!?"_

Moguta swiftly recoiled from the small mage in a panic as Vivi angrily raised his staff, jumping and shouting towards the Moogle before turning towards the small tunnel with a volatile glint in his eyes.

"FIRA!"

A fountain of flames erupted from the tip of Vivi's staff, bursting through the tunnel in a brilliant tango of orange and red. Hearing a muffled croaking before the flames dissipated, Vivi immediately dashed into the small opening as Moguta looked on, watching his gleaming straw hat disappear into the tunnel. The forms of the enemies that Vivi had only just defeated lay strewn about him, smouldering and (in the lamias case) spasming sporadically as Moguta heard a distinctive tinkering.

"_The lickster p- Ugh! ELIXIR - is blue, right Moguta!?"_ came Vivi's voice from inside the Moogles' tunnel.

"Y-yes, th-that's the one!" Moguta replied nervously, toying with his hands as he awaited Vivi's return. Within seconds, Vivi's glowing blue form emerged from the tunnel, elixir in hand as he turned towards Moguta who'd proceeded to do absolutely nothing to help. In the heat of the moment, the young mage's emotions claimed the better of him and turned him angrily towards Moguta as the Moogle recoiled once again.

"Fraidy Cats don't help anyone!" he started, pointing towards the Moogle who ducked away shamefully. "Wh-What if it was Mogmi you were trying to save? Would you have let a little hedgehog pie s-stop you then?"

Moguta poked his head up towards the mage as Vivi's trance finally dissipated. With his complexion returned to its jet-black hue, Vivi released a well-earned sigh of relief, shaking his head towards Moguta.

"I-I'm sorry, Moguta, b-but if someone close to you is in t-trouble, you can't let _a-anything_ slow you down before you help them, even if… even if you d-don't think you can do it."

Moguta turned to the elixir within the mage's hand, frowning as he darted to the mage's eyes.

"… I… I'm sorry I couldn't do anything, Vivi-"

"N-no, I'm sorry for being so a-angry," Vivi replied, shaking his head apologetically. "It's thanks to you that we have the licks… _elixir_, anyway, so… thank you, Moguta. Now, c'mon - l-let's get this back to Zidane!"

* * *

Zidane's responses were becoming shorter and fewer by the minute as Garnet's fretting became larger and superfluous.

"D-Dagger… i-it's r-really…"

"Really wh-what, Zidane? I-it's really _what?_" Garnet replied nervously, running a hand through Zidane's mess of hair as she desperately tried to keep him conscious. "Come on, Zidane! K-keep talking, p-please, just until Vivi-"

"We're back!"

Garnet's eyes shot upwards as Freya and Mogmi dashed towards the opening, greeting Mogmi and Vivi with worrying queries and proceeding to check them from top to tail.

"Darling! You're not hurt, are you, kupo?"

"Vivi! Are you alright? You aren't hurt?"

As Freya progressed to checking Vivi's arms and legs for injuries, Moguta happily embraced Mogmi with a smile.

"I'm completely fine, thanks to Vivi here, kupo!" he squeaked, turning to Vivi as Freya suddenly halted her meticulous checking.

"Thank to Vivi?" she responded, darting to Moguta momentarily before returning to the young mage. "You had to fight?"

"J-just a few enemies, i-it's no big deal-"

"There was a horde of skeletons and lamias back there!" cut in Moguta, clearly unwilling to drop the subject as Vivi tugged awkwardly at his hat. "Vivi turned blue and everything and he wiped the floor with all of them! He was awesome, kupo!"

Vivi turned to Moguta with a tiny giggle before he suddenly remembered why he'd gone to the Moogles' tunnel in the first place. Tightening his grip around the small bottle in his hand, Vivi frantically pointed to the potion as Freya drew a surprised breath.

"O-oh, Freya! This is the li-_ugh, ELIXIR!_ C'mon, let's give it to Zidane!"

Vivi quickly scrambled to Zidane's side as Freya thanked Moguta and Mogmi profusely.

"… and I apologise immensely if I seemed to be ungrateful. I was just so worried about him…"

"That's ok, kupo! I'd have been the same if something had happened to my Moguta!" Mogmi trilled as she pointed towards Zidane, Vivi and Garnet. "Now, go and help your friend, kupo!"

Bowing towards the Moogles once more, Freya dashed towards Zidane as Vivi met Garnet's side, holding the bottle towards the princess with eager and worried eyes.

"Dagger, th-this is the _elixir_. M-make sure Zidane drinks a-all of it," he stated as he removed the cork from the top of the bottle. Garnet released a relieved breath as she took the potion from Vivi with a small smile, turning to Zidane.

"Vivi, th-thank you so much… you've saved Zidane's life!" she cried happily as she turned to the suddenly stirring thief as Vivi anxiously followed her gaze.

"… ugh, D-Dagger? Vivi i-is… is ok, r-right…?"

Garnet brushed Zidane's hair from his face as she nodded, lifting the potion to his eyes.

"Vivi's fine, Z-Zidane! We're all fine, we're all here and I have something I need you to drink, o-ok? It'll make you feel much b-better, a-and then we can go to sleep, ok?"

"… A-as l-long as it's… wh-whiskey…"

With a small laugh, Garnet gently tipped the neck of the bottle to Zidane's lips, slowly pouring the blue liquid into Zidane's mouth as the thief swallowed with a grunt. Darting to Zidane's wounds as panic began to cloak her once more, Garnet's heartbeat soared, bringing her to panic whilst Zidane's dishevelled state showed no signs of improving.

"N-no,i-it's alright," she said, unknowingly voicing her doubts as she shook her head, "it's… it's just going to t-take a while for the effects to kick in, I'm… I'm sure…"

Garnet continued to gently ease the elixir into Zidane's mouth, unwilling to believe that it wouldn't work as the thief struggled to swallow, gently clenching his fists and pushing his eyes closed with every sip. Garnet released frightened, staggered breaths as Zidane slowly shook his head, warding away the potion as the princess smoothed a distressed hand over his forehead.

"Zidane, p-please, _please_ try to drink! It's…"

Garnet quickly shot a look to Freya, panicking as the Burmecian lifted her gaze to the princess.

"… It's going to help, i-isn't it?"

Freya could only manage a concerned frown as she returned to Zidane, watching as the gaping wound across his chest still showed no signs of healing. Two minutes passed and the bottle had been nearly drained. The wounds across Zidane's body remained untouched… and Garnet was scarcely holding onto hope any longer as she began to reprimand herself for being so careless.

"… W-w-why did he throw himself in f-front of me? Z-Zidane… why are you a-always protecting me!? This… _th-this is all my fault!_"

Allowing the last of the elixir to fall to Zidane's lips, Garnet dropped the bottle beside her with a loud, chiming ring and lifted Zidane's lifeless head to her chest before Vivi piped up despairingly.

"Wh-why isn't it w-working!? Wh-what's wrong w-with Zidane!? I-I'm… I-I don't know what t-to d-do-"

"… Ugh… _-*cough!*_"

A barely comprehensible movement had Garnet's eyes opened wide as she darted to the lifeless form in her arms. As Zidane's face began to fill with colour once again, the princess turned hopefully towards the thief's tail, noting its usual flickering as the wound across his chest began to seal itself closed. Releasing her hold in the thief's head, Garnet replaced Zidane's head on his travel-bag as she shuffled sideways, staring weightily over the thief along with Freya and Vivi. A definitive rising of his chest revealed the restoration of a proper breathing pattern as Zidane opened his eyes, only to have them quickly closed again as he raised himself up, weakly slapping a hand to his forehead with a groan.

"Geez… do I have a headache or what?"

The burdening weight that oppressed the party suddenly lifted off their shoulder as Vivi, Garnet and Freya all released a collective sigh of relief.

"H-h-he's ok!"

Vivi's tiny voice reverberated throughout the grotto as Freya placed a hand to her chest, gently patting her heart to a slower, more steady beat as Garnet smiled in ecstatic reprieve.

"Zidane! Oh my god, you foolish, fantastic boy!" she exclaimed, clasping her arms around the thief and swaying gently with his motions before quickly changing her relieved smile to an admonishing scowl. "Don't you ever, ever, _EVER_ do anything that reckless ever again!"

(Yeah, we can count on _that_…)

"Whoa, whoa! Easy, Dagger, easy!" Zidane cried, flailing his arms about as Garnet quickly withdrew her hands, watching Zidane glide a hand coarsely over his chest. "I'm –ugh! – still recovering here…"

Filled with uneasy calm, the princess allowed her heart to return within her chest as she released a deep, sharp sigh.

"S-sorry, it's just that I was so-"

Widening her gaze as Zidane quickly shot her a surprised glance, Garnet suddenly realised what she'd said – that only _she'd_ been worried about him. Quickly swallowing her words, Garnet covered up her momentary silence with a few short coughs, shaking her head and continuing as best she could…

"-that is, _we_ were so very worried about you…"

… although she _still_ failed to conceal her slip-up from Zidane. Managing to lift himself from his elbows, the thief raised his brows, turning to the young princess with a rather suggestive smile.

"Awww, Dagger was worried about me!"

Before the princess had time to protest, Freya knelt at the thief's side.

"We all were, you _idiot,_" she said with a soft slap to the back of Zidane's head, "so the next time you think of going to kill yourself, kindly make sure that we have healing items available, alright?"

Zidane grinned sheepishly as he turned to the Burmecian, sitting up properly as he crossed his legs and placed a hand to the back of his head.

"Hah, I'll keep it in mind. Anyways, thanks for helping me out, Freya," he stated warmly, smiling towards the Burmecian as she returned with a shake of her head.

"Don't thank me, Zidane."

"Huh?"

With a raised brow, Zidane turned from the Burmecian towards Garnet, who also returned with a shake of her head.

"The Moogles were the ones who found the elixir, Zidane," Garnet began, pointing towards Moguta and Mogmi as Moguta quickly took to the air.

"Well, yeah, we found it alright, but…"

Mogmi happily voiced a 'kupo' as Moguta flew towards Vivi, landing beside him and placing a small hand to the young mage's shoulder.

"But it was Vivi who you should be thanking, kupo! He fought his way through the grotto with me when I was too scared! He saved my life, kupo!"

Vivi quickly tugged at his hat, pulling the wide brim over his face as Zidane turned to him, glancing towards the staff that still remained proudly held within the young mage's hands. With a broad smile, Zidane made his way to his feet, dusted the muck and dirt from his clothes and made his way towards Vivi whilst Moguta happily retreated to Mogmi.

"Heh, you're a real life-saver, Vivi – you know that?" Zidane said, kneeling down and patting a hand to Vivi's shoulder. "I told you there's a hero in everyone, didn't I?"

Vivi released a timid giggle, shrugging as he met Zidane's eyes.

"I-it was no big deal, Zidane… just a few enemies, that's all-"

"But you still did it, and I'm still alive because of you," Zidane said, poking a finger to the young mage's sternum as Vivi looked up. "That's gotta be worth bein' proud of, right?"

Zidane turned to Garnet who had made her way to her feet as she dusted the grime and dirt from her knees. Brushing her hair out of her face, she quickly turned to Zidane with a look of surprise as he released a tiny chuckle.

"It's not every day that you get to save a life."

Quickly finding a definitive heat whirling its way through her cheeks, Garnet all but failed to conceal a girlish smile as she swept her hands to her cheeks, turning from Zidane as he mustered another chuckle.

"Alrighty then," Zidane began as he returned to Vivi, giving the young mage a wink as he made his way to his feet. "I'd say it's about time we had a break. Everyone agree?"

A collective nod from the group had Zidane heading for his bag before Freya quickly halted his actions.

"We have nothing but our weapons, Zidane," she began as Zidane paused on his bag and turned towards her. "We lost everything when we left Alexandria, remember?"

The thief's eyes widened as the memory quickly resurfaced. Surely enough, Zidane opened the flap of his bag to a large space, filled with nothing but his weapons and a few adornments.

"… Rats…" he mumbled beneath his breath, unaware that a certain marsupial humanoid had overheard his childish curse.

"Pardon me?"

Zidane quickly turned to Freya, realising his accidental racist slur as he waved his hands about apologetically.

"I-I mean, dang it!"

As Freya placed judgemental hands on her hips, Zidane flung his bag over his shoulder, cleared his throat and then turned to the Moogle couple.

"… Heh, you guys don't have a spare tent we could use, do ya?"

Mogmi quickly sprang up, nodding energetically as Moguta took to the skies beside her.

"You bet! We'll be back in a minute, kupo!"

Zidane released a sigh of relief as he shouted thanks towards the Moogles, watching as their tiny forms disappeared around the corner of the winding passage.

"By the way, you're not off the hook yet, Viv's."

Vivi turned to Zidane with a questioning blink of his eyes.

"Huh?"

"You're gonna tell me all about this little adventure of yours while I'm setting up the tent, alright?"

Vivi nodded happily, turning towards Freya and Garnet as they approached the two, eager for a chance to hear the story as well. True to his word, Vivi eagerly described the events of the day as Zidane hammered in the spokes for the tent, constantly having his story reiterated (and over-dramatized) by Moguta who was only too happy to give abundant praise to the brave little mage. After a firmly set sleeping quarters and a resounding round of thank-you's to Moguta and Mogmi, the party set themselves for a well-earned rest as Zidane zipped the tent closed with a gratified smile, happily taking his place beside Garnet.

* * *

Alrighty! Long ass chapter for the first one, hope you guys enjoyed it! Also, 'lickster potion' is what my little brother called 'elixirs'. He couldn't say it right and listening to him try… god it was a laugh XD

Leave reviews, leave suggestions, leave messages… go for it! :D

Good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	12. Far from a proud moment

**Little something to build on a suggestion from yrsd :D**

**Very funny chapter. X3 Enjoy!**

**Also, it's 'Say blls', like saying 'disables' without the 'di'. Read on to find out what I'm talking about :D**

* * *

"Just a little… _*mph!*_ m-more, Dagger…"

"N-no, Zidane! W-we need to stop! I… I c-can't feel my legs anymore!"

"No! W-we can't… _*ugh!*_ stop now! I'm… oh, _god_, I'm so close!"

Garnet tightened her grip around the thief's thighs, attempting her hardest to maintain her composure as the raging fire consummated between her legs, sending intense crackles of static electricity throughout her mind.

"B-but… Z-Zidane, I'm… _I'm afraid that I may… MAY…!"_

"D-D-_Dagger! I'm… ALMOST… THERE…!"_

Proving to be much, _much_ more than the young queen could handle, every muscle in her body contracted as a white-hot emotion tore through her being, unlike anything she had felt before – after all, the young queen was virgin to such antics, yet Zidane showed no signs of being inexperienced.

"Z-Z-_ZIDAAAAAANE!_"

"YES, YES, YEEEEES!"

With one final heave followed by a loud crack, Zidane tore the chest from its rocky confines as he soared over Garnet's grounded form. Having taken hold of the thief's legs as he'd reached into a rather deep hole, the queen had tugged repeatedly along with Zidane to attempt to unearth the stubborn coffer, unable to retrieve it until only a short moment ago – an act that the thief would soon regret.

"Oh… my goodness… Zidane…?" breathlessly whispered Garnet, the intense heat burning throughout her body as she lay exhausted on the cavern floor. Zidane propped himself up, chest still in hand as he shook the dirt and dust from his blonde hair.

"Phew, _finally!_ Whatever's in this baby had better be worth it!"

Zidane smiled happily as he turned to Garnet, lying on the floor before him. Dropping the chest to his side and dragging himself towards the breathless Queen, Zidane felt a familiar tingle welling inside of him as he inched ever-closer to the young woman who held his heart.

"Still happy that you came along?" he said through a charming smile, moving his head above hers and meeting the hazel eyes of the young woman. Garnet flickered her eyelids at the voice, meeting the cerulean blues of her beloved and darting over his dishevelled and dirty face. Smiling as she placed a hand to Zidane's crown, Garnet pulled the thief down towards her as she pressed her lips to his, returning the two to their fleeting romance atop the moonlit lake.

"I can think of less enjoyable ways to spend time," Garnet replied, parting from Zidane as she smiled towards him. The thief gave a confident wink as he darted to the chest, returning to Garnet with a wide smile.

"So can I. Shall we?"

Garnet poked the tip of her tongue through her teeth, giving an excited smile as Zidane quickly recoiled back towards his newly acquired spoils. She rolled forwards, making her way to her feet and scurrying after the thief who had already made good with dusting off the golden latch. Turning enthusiastically towards her, Zidane met Garnet's eyes with absolute euphoria as he motioned to the chest.

"All yours, gorgeous."

Garnet had never been one for pet names. Surely, from anyone else, the sentence would have been completely lewd, but from Zidane? Garnet had begun to find the sleazy advances oddly… charming. Giving a quick roll of her eyes and shaking her head, Garnet happily knelt by Zidane's side as she clasped the golden latch between her fingers.

"Ready?"

Hardly needing to ask the question as Zidane's eyes clearly denoted his excitement, Garnet slowly flicked the latch upwards.

"One…"

Garnet slipped her fingers underneath the lid of the chest, completely contented in _finally_ finding a way to tease the practically hyperventilating thief.

"Two…"

Almost giggling as she watched him bite his lip nervously, Garnet quickly lifted and shut the lid just an inch, prompting a mini tantrum from the anxious thief.

"Oh, c'mon, Dagger! Don't tease me like this!"

Smiling wide once more, Garnet pushed the lid all the way open as she revealed the-

"Oi! Whaddaya think you're doin!?"

"AAAAH!"

Zidane and Garnet shrieked loudly, leaping from the chest as it suddenly burst open, spewing diamonds, rubies and the like out from its wooden belly. Staring dubiously towards the now open chest, Zidane narrowed his eyes towards two long, pointed red ears as a tiny, queerly-dressed goblin leapt from the inside, landing before the chest with furiously folded arms.

"D'ya think it's funny, bustin' into other people's homes, girly? How'd ya like it if I ripped open _your _front door without askin'? Clear off!" he yelled, whipping around to Zidane. "You too, ya wanker!"

Waving his hands about angrily, the goblin turned back to the chest, bouncing around his 'home' and collecting handfuls of the tiny jewels that had erupted from within its wooden confines. Zidane looked on, bewildered, as the goblin continued about the chest, forming small piles of the glittering gems in his wake.

"Wha… wait a sec, who the heck are you?" Zidane asked rudely, making his way to his feet as Garnet followed his motions. The goblin turned towards Zidane, holding a handful of jewels and a virulent scowl.

"Name's Seibles, 'n' I don't give a stuff who you are, so bugger off, would ya?"

"Say-bells? What the heck kinda name is-"

Zidane's attentions were newly affixed towards the goblin as he threw the jewels back into the chest and slammed it shut, tugging at the handle and beginning to drag the thief's latest claim back into the depths of the cave.

"Hey, whaddaya think you'redoing!? That's our stuff! We found it first-"

"My ass, bloke!" Seibles stated angrily, pointing to the chest. "This piece o' wood here is my home! This ain't your stuff, it's _my_ stuff, so clear off 'fore I chuck a bluey!"

Not one to allow his spoils out of his sights (let alone _reach_) Zidane lunged towards the opposite side of the chest, pulling against the tiny enemy and dragging him back towards the entrance of the cave.

"OI! Get offa my fuckin' chest, mate!"

"It _ain't _your fuckin' chest, _mate!_ I FOUND IT FIRST!"

Garnet watched the two bicker loudly, carrying on about the childish tug-o-war and pulling back and forth, back and forth until it was clear that Zidane held the upper hand in brute strength. Almost succeeding in pulling the chest out of the goblin's grip, Zidane smiled triumphantly as Seibles suddenly dropped his handle and leapt onto the chest, slamming it from Zidane's grip and down onto the ground with a loud 'crunk'.

"Now, you listen here, ya little, wise-guy," the goblin threatened as he pointed a crooked finger towards the thief. "This here's gonna end the easy way, or the hard way. You both clear off outta here and leave me chest alone, or I'm gonna bury ya beside it! Ya got tha-_whoa-AYE! LEMME DOWN!"_

In a lightning fast sweep of his hand, Zidane snatched the goblin from atop the chest, holding him above the ground with his outstretched arm as Seibles writhed and squirmed, desperate to break free from Zidane's relentless grip.

"The only one that's gotta clear off is you, ya little turd!"

With a hefty bellow of exertion, Zidane lobbed the flailing goblin back into the cave as Garnet quickly ducked to his side, watching as the tiny body collided with the floor in a small cloud of dust. As Zidane swiped his hands together proudly, Seibles tussled around, beating his limbs against the cave floor as he shot himself skyward, suddenly surrounded in a bright yellow aura. Zidane's eyes burst open as Garnet recoiled behind him, watching the Goblin's aura grow threateningly as Seibles pointed towards Zidane.

"Right, that's it, cob! If you ain't gonna leave quietly, you ain't gonna leave at all!"

Zidane opened his arms defensively, standing in front of Garnet as Seibles suddenly stretched his arms out to his side, almost as if reaching for something… which was when Zidane noticed a movement behind the tiny goblin. Barely noticeable at first, but growing in tremors and noise as Zidane looked on in horror – the cave had started to crumble!

"Wh-whoa! Dagger, w-we gotta get outta here!"

"M-my thoughts exactly!"

Almost as quickly as Zidane had uttered the sentence, Seibles crunched his fists together and pulled them towards him, opening his palms and then pushing his yellow aura to the cave walls surrounding him. As a tremulous rumble, a panicked '_WARK_' and a shrill scream echoed through the cave, Zidane grabbed Garnet's hand in his own, racing towards the tiny entrance of the cave.

"You ain't gettin' outta here alive, mate!"

Seibles cry seemed to enrage the cave itself as lumps of dirt and rocks fell from the ceiling, forcing quick thinking from the thief as he suddenly whipped the young Queen into his arms, dashing and evading madly as the entrance drew nearer. Twenty metres soon turned to ten, thereafter scaling down to five before a thought struck Zidane, stopping him in his tracks:

"Oh, _shit!_ _I FORGOT THE TREASURE CHEST!_"

Looking on bewildered as Zidane quickly placed her down by the small opening, Garnet remained in the safety that was the cave's entrance as Zidane darted back into the depths, causing the Queen to slap her hands to her head in panic.

"NO! Zidane, for _God's Sake! _It's just a treasure chest! Just _come back!_ I don't want you to die over a silly-"

"I'll be five seconds Dagger! Would…"

Garnet watched as the thief narrowly dodged a falling rock.

"… you…"

Zidane leapt over a mountain of dirt as he eyed the chest, mere metres away.

"… JUST…"

Performing one final leap into the air, arms wide open, Zidane narrowly caught a flicker of yellow as he felt a tremendous force close in around him.

And he was so close, too…

"Zidane!"

A deafening crunch echoed out of the cave, scattering dust and dirt into the air as the pressure forced Garnet to the floor, rousing a flurry of panicked calls from Choco.

"_Waaaaaark! Kweh, Kweeeh! Warkweeeh!"_

Shielding her eyes as Garnet remained on the cave floor, the trembling soon subsided, revealing the dust storm that was the inside of the pulverized cave. Fearing for the worst, Garnet shot her eyes open, turning to the mess of dirt and rocks as she desperately scanned for the thief.

"Zidane! _ZIDAAAAAANE!"_

Making her way to her feet, she dared herself deeper into the cave, stepping past fallen debris and continuing to dart her eyes madly around the area. A small squeal left her lips as a straying rock crumbled beside her, cascading down a pile of rubble and coming to rest just beside her feet. As panic consumed and compressed her chest, Garnet shielded her mouth from the dust and dirt about the cave, granting her scarce access to fresh air as she coughed coarsely.

"ZIDANE! _ZIDANE, PLEASE ANSWER ME!_"

"Damnit! Little red _jerk!_"

Zidane's muffled voice rumbled through the cave, causing the princess to stop suddenly and dart deeper into her surroundings.

"ZIDANE!... Zidane?!"

Attempting to follow the voice, Garnet ventured deeper into the cave, still desperately looking for any trace of the thief as his vocals rang through the cave once more.

"I'm fine, Dagger, but that 'Sea-Balls' or whatever got away with our jewels!"

"_It's Seibles, ya tosser!"_

Zidane blew a raspberry towardsthe echoing voice, wrestling around from his position.

"Ah, forget about it, Dagger! Are you o-… Oh… no, no. No, No! NO, NO, _NOOOO!_"

Garnet suddenly darted to the series of objections, unfortunately finding the source as she scrutinized the lower half of Zidane's body through the dusty surroundings, flailing about spastically from a wall of rubble.

"O-oh my _goodness!_ Z-Zidane!"

Garnet floundered about helplessly, dashing towards the struggling thief as Zidane tried over and over to kick himself from the unfortunate prison and critically embarrassing situation.

"Fuckin' _shit!"_ came his muffled cry as Zidane's tail zigzagged irately back and forth, hardly holding any reassurance to the panicking queen. "Ugh, Dagger! I… _I THINK I'M STUCK!_"

"S-S-STUCK!?" the young queen shrieked, clapping her hands to either side of her head once again as she darted around aimlessly. Panic gripped the thief as he slammed his feet against the wall, his tail suddenly bolting straight out behind him and becoming more rigid than a mage's staff.

"I-I can't get out! That _bastard_ goblin completely trapped me! DAMNIT!"

The hair along Zidane's tail stood straight, almost akin to a hilariously long and thin dirty-blonde cactus as Garnet desperately turned to and fro, searching for anything she could use to help Zidane.

"Z-Zidane! I-I-I don't know what to do!?"

"Go and get some help! I can't _*MMMPH!*_ … _shit,_ I can't pull myself free! Try and find a shovel or an axe or… or _something! For god's sake, ANYTHING!_"

Desperately darting around, Garnet eyed her racquet, cast idly to the side. A fleeting triumph fluttered through her before she surmised that the weapon wasn't even nearly strong enough to hack away at the rubble. Thanking sudden inspiration as an alternative method entered her mind, Garnet immediately dashed towards the entrance of the cave.

"I-I'll bring Choco! Just wa-"

"Dagger! _Dagger, wait!_" Zidane called, thankfully halting the princess' movements as she returned to the semi-covered thief. "Choco _doesn't fit_ in this stupid cave, remember!? That's why _we_ had to come in!"

The princess recoiled, remembering that fact to be adamant as Choco called loudly from the narrow opening. Turning to the bird's head that was only just visible through the small hole that Zidane and Garnet had squeezed through, the young queen turned to the flailing behind of the thief. Only just managing to keep a giggle dormant as Zidane's backside remained so provocatively outward-thrust, Garnet reminded herself of the severity of the situation as she turned for the exit.

"Zidane, I'm going to take Choco and get some help! I'll get you out of there; just… ummm… don't move, alright?"

"Oh, yeah, sure thing, Dagger! I mean, I was gonna go out for a bite to eat before you got back, but now that you mention it, I might just stick around-_WHERE THE HELL D'YA THINK I'M GONNA GO, WOMAN!?_"

Thankfully poking her head out of the cave entrance just in time to release a series of giggles, Garnet happily made her way towards Choco, trying her hardest to remember just how dire the situation had become.

"Alright, alright, Garnet. Zidane is stuck, this is _-*mph!*- not_ funny, this is _bad_… _-*wheeze!*-_ Oh my goodness, who am I kidding? I'm sorry Zidane, but _-*pip!*-_ this is just hilarious! Tehehe!"

With a fond look back towards the cave, Garnet patted a hand to Choco's back as the bird knelt down to pick her up. Quickly jumping atop his back and patting a hand to his neck, Garnet braced herself as Choco released another excited call, taking to the skies and jetting a direct course towards the Invincible.

* * *

"Hmmm… they _have_ been gone for a while. Perhaps a search wouldn't go astray…"

Freya voiced her concern as Steiner paced the landscape of the secluded island, dashing back and forth impatiently along the lengths of the Invincible.

"Lady Freya is right!" he cried, breaking from his robotic patrol as he found himself, for some reason, wishing to salute. Quickly shaking off the afterthought, he turned to group that was littered about the land, managing to procure not a single person's attention. "A search must be conducted. I shall take the Invincible with her. As for the rest of you-"

"_HEEEEEEEEY!_"

Swiftly turned from his impulsive knightly duties, Steiner (along with the remaining) darted towards the vocalisation, finding the young Queen soaring towards them on the back of a golden Chocobo. As Choco landed beside the Invincible, Garnet swiftly pushed herself from his back as the Chocobo cooed loudly. Of course, Steiner was the first to dash towards the Queen, offer his hand to her and inquire as to her previous whereabouts. Foreseeing such an event, Garnet quickly robbed his need to speak with a raised hand.

"Your majesty-"

"There's no time to waste with details, Steiner! Everyone, there's been a terrible accident! Zidane is trapped and _-*mph!*-_ w-we-"

"Trapped!? Where!?" cried Vivi, quickly jumping from his seated position as Eiko swiftly joined his side.

"We have to go and save him! I _knew_ I should have come along, he's hopeless without me!" the young girl cried enthusiastically, pointing towards the ship as Amarant and Quina approached the excitable Queen.

"What's he done _this_ time?" Amarant quizzed, folding his arms in his usual dismissive manner.  
"He hasn't gotten his head stuck in a treasure chest, has he?"

As Garnet met the eyes of the bounty hunter, she couldn't stop a sudden pursing of her lips as she raised two fingers to desperately attempt to conceal a sudden bought of titters and a widened smile (and she tried _so_ hard, the poor dear). Those actions alone prompted a sudden light to fall upon Amarant's visage as he smirked, swiftly snatching up Vivi and Eiko and then dashing madly towards the ship.

"I'm not missing this! Everyone on board, now!"

Freya and Steiner gazed towards the man as Vivi and Eiko whooped and cheered, flailing their arms out to either side as they were lost in childish fantasies. Although clearly not the intention of the bounty hunter, the children had taken a fast liking to the times (however few and far between) that Amarant had snatched them into the air and carried them throughout a location during their adventure. Folding her arms and following Amarant's motions, Freya released a withheld sigh and shook her head as she ascended the gangway onto the Invincible.

"My goodness, that boy is a walking disaster area," she began, turning to Garnet as Steiner, Quina and the Queen quickly caught up to her. "I suppose Choco will lead the way?"

"Yes, he certainly will!" cried Garnet, suddenly turning to the bird and waving. "Choco! Find Zidane!"

"_Kweeeh!"_

As Amarant swiftly gained control of the ship, Choco energetically took to the skies, cooing loudly as he soared over the ocean, making a direct line towards his rider.

* * *

_Some time later…_

"Choco! You're back!"

Choco cooed excitedly as he slammed his beak into the small entrance again and again, attempting to reach his master after being the first to land, maintaining a proud lead ahead of the Invincible. Zidane happily flailed about, one prominent thought in his mind as he tried over and over to pull himself from the wall of rubble.

"That means that Dagger won't be far beh-"

Upon that sentence, Zidane came to an unfortunate realisation – If Garnet didn't returned with Choco, then that means…

She was bringing the _entire party_ to attempt to get him out!

"Oh for the love of _crap!_ If those guys see me like this, I'll never hear the end of it! Quick, Choco! Hurry up and gemme outta here!"

"_Kweeeh!"_

Choco quickly continued his enthusiastic digging, cracking his beak repeatedly against the finally crumbling entrance to the cave.

"That's it, Choco! C'mon, dig your way to daddy! Good boy, _good boy!_"

After a few more bashings of the beak, Choco managed to fashioin a hole in the mountain just big enough for his head to squeeze through. As Zidane heard the energetic clucking and grunting, a glimmer of hope erupted within him before a large tremor rumbled through the cave, bolting panic through the thief as he shielded his face from straying lumps of dirt that began to crumble over his head.

"Wh-wh-what the heck is that!? Choco? What's going on!? _Did you cause a fucking cave in!? ANSWER ME, YOU OVERGROWN TURKEY!_"

Remembering that he was talking to a bird – a bird that, shock of all shock, can't actually speak - Zidane braced himself for the worst. Choco cooed loudly from outside the cavern as the trembling soon dissipated, leaving only fading choruses of powerful engines shutting down. Oblivious to the distorted noises until now, a horrible realisation befell Zidane as Choco's energetic coos were muffled by the crescendo of numerous stampeding feet.

"Oh God, no! No, c'mon! There is no way that my luck can be that-"

"Zidane! We're all here!"

The beautiful voice of Garnet Til Alexandros filled the cave as Freya, Vivi, Eiko, Quina, Amarant and (finally) Steiner squeezed into the small opening, locking eyes immediately towards the sunken backside of the confined thief. Zidane felt his heart skip a beat as the loud clanking of Steiner's armour suddenly ceased, granting him a heavy moment of realisation. Finding an irrevocable twitching in his eye, Zidane hesitantly spoke:

"… Dagger, you brought the whole party, didn't you?"

Zidane's question was swiftly answered as a cataclysmic eruption of laughter chorused throughout the cave. Eiko and Vivi fell to the floor alongside their weapons, rolling from side to side as Garnet soon lost all composure, deducing the entire situation to be so ludicrous that it was practically _begging_ to be laughed at. Steiner fell to a kneeling position, propping himself up with his blade as his burly laughter echoed through the cave beneath Eiko's, Vivi's and Garnet's squeaking titters. Quina's fork left the Qu's hand with a loud tinkering as he/she fell to the floor, rolling over to his/her front as Freya struggled to maintain her composure, cupping her mouth as she hissed laughter through her teeth. Even Amarant propped himself onto a cavern wall, unable to maintain his stoic demeanour as Zidane's backside partook in a rather comical thrusting.

"Yeah, alright, _hah, hah, hah,_ we've all had a laugh! Anyone realise that I'm actually fucking _stuck!? MAYBE YOU COULD DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT, HUH!?"_

Another tumultuous round of laughter erupted from within the cave as Zidane kicked at the walls, desperate to be free of such an embarrassing situation as Quina suddenly piped up with an idea… albeit a terrible one.

"Hahaha! Zidane, you stuck good, but you no worry - we pull tail, make you come out very fast!"

"NO! _Q-QUINA, DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!"_

Freya's spear was a fast forgotten memory as she fell to her knees, clasping a hand to her mouth as Zidane continued to assault the wall with a barrage of kicks. Amarant slide down the cave wall, holding his mid-section as he wheezed out every last breath.

"_HAH! _Oh-HAHAHAH! This was _-*wheeeeeeeze!*-_ s-so fucking _-*cough!*-_ _worth it! HAHAHAH-WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEZE!"_

The bounty hunter's thick, wheezing laughter filled the cave as Zidane irately beat his hands against the opposite sides of the wall with dull thumps.

"Hey! Would you assholes cut it out? I'd _smack_ you senseless if I had my hands free!"

"W-well, that doesn't seem to _-*pfft!*- _be the case at all! And might I s-say, Z-Zidane," Freya started, attempting to form a sentence between intense giggles, "you've certainly gone ass-backwards this time!"

Continuing with the hilarious ruckus, Freya and Garnet managed to feed off each other's laughter, escalading their candid cackles as Zidane slapped around the inside of the hole. Clearly, the once proud thief's patience was beginning to wear thin.

"Alright then, FINE! Go ahead - laugh it up, you _bastards!_ I'll fart in your faces! See how funny it is then, huh!?"

That finishing comment broke the final restraints of every member of the group (if indeed there were any remaining). Freya almost chocked with laughter as Steiner practically keeled over, filling the cave with his bellowing howls as the obnoxiously loud '_clang – clang – clang_'of his armoured hand rang through the party's ears as he repeatedly slapped at the solid floor. Vivi barely managed to squeak out hoarse wheezes as Eiko's pale cheeks burned red from the strain, prompting both children to double in volume upon sighting each other's hysterical reactions. Garnet staggered her way to Steiner as she placed an arm around the knight, attempting to prop herself up against him and giggling loudly as the fur upon Zidane's tail spiked once more, standing straighter than the quills of a Cactuar.

"_WOULD YOU SONS OF BITCHES JUST HURRY THE FUCK UP AND GET ME THE FUCK OUTTA HERE!?"_

* * *

After Amarant and Steiner had recomposed themselves enough to stand, the two collected their weapons and set to work, etching away at the stony confines surrounding Zidane. Continuously finding their work impaired by contagious bouts of snickers, the two scarcely managed the will to stand - let alone dig - as the growingly angered commentary from the less-than-impressed thief began to louden, only adding to the hilarity tenfold as he furiously kicked and slapped against the wall. Finally managing to wriggle himself free, Zidane was welcomed by another batch of laughs as he collected his weapon and stormed out, grumbling to himself as even Choco's happy coos seemed to mock him. Freya lead the party outwards, turning back time and time again with uproarious attempts to try and silence the snickering party as she approached the sulking thief.

"We're s-sorry, Zidane, b-but it was -_*snort!* - _oh, come on, sourpuss! You _have_ to admit that it was utterly-"

"Embarrassing? YEAH, IT WAS!"

Zidane's moody response was only fire to the blazing inferno that was Freya's not so dormant laughter as she slapped a hand to her mouth, soon re-infecting the other members of the party as they erupted into giggles and rowdy laughter.

"This will be good story for Master Quale! I so happy, it make him laugh so much!" cried Quina, happily bouncing up and down as Steiner clasped a hand to his mouth in an attempt to conceal his hearty chortles. Zidane whirled around as he pointed a threatening finger towards the party, eyeing each member of the team as they distorted their faces in an attempt to conceal their cascading delight.

"No one's gonna hear about this, Quina! Because if anyone ever, _EVER_, mentions this again, I'll throw them offa the _goddamn_ air_ship!_ _ALRIGHT!?_"

Zidane narrowed his eyes as he received the response he saw coming a mile away. Glumly walking back towards the Invincible, the thief winced as the 'clang, clang' of Steiner's hand hitting his knee, the breathless gasps of Vivi, Eiko, Garnet, Amarant and Freya and the howling guffaw that was Quina's boisterous laughter all culminated once more, ringing loudly throughout the Forgotten Continent - a fervent reminder of an extremely embarrassing moment that was not soon to be forgotten.

* * *

Admit it, you though they were having naughty time at the start ;)

Also, I haven't made an Aussie character in a story yet, so… figured I'd give the title to a tough-as-nails, smart-talking little guy, just for laughs.

R 'n' R, good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	13. Noble Intentions

"How the fuck does a fucking _sheep_ cast a _fucking 'Comet' spell!?_"

Amarant harmoniously (if somewhat boorishly) voiced the entire party's thoughts as he avoided yet another Comet spell hurtling towards him. Taking time for training on Vile Island was clearly not the brightest thought that had ever entered the party's mind, but a suggestion that took solid form nonetheless after careful persuasion from Amarant and Zidane – the pair had been itching to put their latest weapons to the test. The Yans proved to be much more than the party could handle as comet after comet crashed betwixt the group, littering the landscape with craters and blasting bodies to and fro. Vivi and Eiko were taking turns throwing spells, shrieking loudly and dashing away from one of the stampeding Yans as it continued to bleat loudly, continuously casting 'Float' towards the two. Another fluffy foe had taken to dashing after Zidane after having blasted Freya and Steiner hundreds of yards away with a tremendous 'Snort'… and both showed no signs of returning anytime soon.

"Quina! Don't you even _DARE!_"

Zidane's warning went unheeded (as was common place when it came to the Qu) as Quina leapt towards the bucking Yan, mouth wide open. Swiftly enveloping the backside of the small enemy, Quina smiled happily as the Yan darted a furious gaze to its hindquarters. Quina's contented smile quickly dissolved into frowning panic as the Yan took off at full speed, dragging the Qu across the barren landscape as its hind legs kicked at Quina's insides.

"EEIIIIYAAAAAAAAAH! THHHIDANE!" cried the Qu, muffling his words towards the thief as Zidane looked on in disbelief. "YAN KOO SHKWONG! I NO CAH EAK UNKIL IK WEAKAHH!"

The absolute absurdity of the situation swaddled the thief as Quina disappeared into a cloud of dust, continuing to be dragged about by the Yan and unwilling to ignore his/her ravenous appetite as the small foe remained adamant to not become his/her lunch. Snapping back just in time to find his own Yan dashing towards him, Zidane quickly performed a side-roll, narrowly evading the full-frontal takedown and proceeding to dash away from the stampeding enemy. Throughout the mayhem, Garnet had managed to remain out of direct sight of the Yans, launching healing and protective spells towards the remaining party members. Gathering up the magic she needed to unleash a devastating summoning, she frantically turned to Zidane who was still suffering from the deadliest round of 'Cat and Mouse' he'd ever had the misfortune of enduring.

"Zidane! Gather the Yans in one spot! I need an opening!" she cried, desperately aiming for an area that would hold suitable for her summoning - which just so happened to be the last thing on Zidane's mind.

"Kinda busy right now, Dagger!"

Turning back towards the charging Yan, Zidane leapt to the side, only to be blasted with a cloud of Virus Powder and sent straight back to the ground. After greeting the floor with his face, lifting himself and quickly reaching into his vest for a vaccine vial, Zidane quickly removed the lid and stabbed the syringe into his arm. Feeling a fleeting moment of pain before the effects of the virus powder wore away, Zidane shook his head and recovered his position as he quickly turned his attention to Amarant, who seemed to be having just as much success at warding off the tenacious attackers as he was. Leaping away from another flaming boulder, the bounty hunter gripped his claws and turned towards his own rearing Yan, killer intent heavy within his burning eyes. Quickly scrutinising his ally's intentions, Zidane quickly rounded to Amarant's side, dodging a straying 'Comet' spell from his own bleating Yan as he did.

"Wait, Amarant! That thing might-"

"The only thing it's gonna do is _die!_"

Ignoring Zidane's warning, Amarant lunged towards the Yan, claws bared and supposedly ready for a scrap. Connecting with the small animal head-on, Amarant managed little more than to collide with the Yan's reinforced skull with a dull 'thud'. Pausing for only a moment, Amarant turned to his claws, embedded within the Yan's skull as the fleeced lump narrowed its large eyes towards the bounty hunter. Suddenly remembering the fate that Freya and Steiner had suffered, Amarant felt a bolt of panic soar through himself as the Yan began to tremble, increasing in size and closing its eyes.

"AH! Amarant! What the heck were you thinking!?" cried Zidane, quickly flipping his gleaming swallow blade in his arms and turning towards his own Yan. "Soul Blade!"

A brilliant light adorned the thief as a small burst of energy shot towards the Yan, surrounding the suddenly flustered enemy in a small yellow flame that quickly dissipated, revealing the small foe to have been placed in a peaceful slumber.

"HEY! YOU WANNA TRY THAT OVER HERE!?"

Zidane turned to the bewildered bounty hunter, desperately trying to yank his thoroughly embedded claws from the thick skull of the still-inflating Yan. However, before Zidane could begin to articulate his response, the Yan, much to Amarant's surprise, suddenly halted its large inhalation and, in turn, ceased its violent jiggling. The thief and bounty hunter exchanged glances, darting back towards the foe as Amarant narrowed his gaze.

"… Is… is this thing dead?"

Zidane recoiled to the enemy's side, quickly receiving an answer to Amarant's question. The eyes of the small creature suddenly burst open as Amarant, now fully aware that the Yan still held life, managed one last swift yank of his claws, wrenching them from their captivity as he turned tail and ran as fast as he could…

"OH SWEET MOTHER-"

_***BFFWEEEEOOOOW!***_

"FUUUUUUUUuuuuuuu…"

... but not fast enough.

As Zidane looked on in a mixture of panic and amusement, he found himself unable to stand as he burst into tumultuous laughter towards the somersaulting bounty hunter. As Amarant continued to flip, clearing half of the mountain range of Vile Island, a definitive cloud of dirt signalled his return to Terra Firma. Zidane knew he'd pay for his elated outburst when Amarant eventually made his way back to the group, but for the moment it was just too funny to miss. Being thankfully returned to his senses, Zidane turned towards the Yan that had sent Amarant flying as it plastered a worried look across its wide head. Seeming to be bereft of all remaining energy, the woollen enemy staggered sideways, wheezing and teetering as though it struggled to hold the weight of its colossal skull.

"What the…?"

Taken aback but far from one not to leap at such an opportunity, Zidane quickly jumped to his feet, holding his blade and dashing towards the stunned enemy.

"Gotcha now, fluffy!"

Connecting a hefty kick to the head of the swaying enemy, the Yan flipped backwards as its weak spot – the underside – was revealed. Performing an aerial flip and seizing the opportunity, Zidane thrust his blade downward, piercing the soft underbelly of the now wailing enemy and successfully granting their first victory over the tiny powerhouses. As the blood of the insentient enemy trailed over the dirty ground, Zidane quickly turned towards the Yan that had been following him, noting its heavy slumber still held the sheep firmly from consciousness.

"L-lookout, Z-Zidane!"

Turning to the shrill voice with an immediately fluffed out tail, Zidane yelped loudly as he matched the pacing of Eiko and Vivi as the three of them dashed away from the last remaining Yan – well, the last _conscious_ Yan, anyway. Finding himself to be much, _much_ faster than the children, Zidane quickly fastened his swallow blade to his back and, with one quick motion, swept Vivi and Eiko into his arms, proceeding to carry the children away from the Yan as another flaming comet suddenly burst towards them.

"_Whoa, Jesus!_"

"ZIDANE!"

Garnet's cry of worry was all but drowned out by the immense explosion as the comet tore the surrounding earth asunder. Barely managing to leap over the cindered hollow, Zidane landed deftly upon the other side of the crater, turning breathlessly towards the smouldering hole as the Yan dashed through it, its relentless chase deemed far from over and horns poised to strike.

"Oh, c'mon! Gimme a fuckin' _break_, man!"

Using what remained of his agile wit, Zidane dashed towards the Yan, leaping just short of its distastefully large head and running over the backside of the creature as the Yan suffered a mild disorientation, loudly flipping itself over onto its back and slamming its heavy horns into the ground. As the Yan bleated absurdly, flailing its stumpy legs in a desperate attempt to return itself to its feet, Zidane quickly placed Vivi and Eiko to the ground, darting between the flailing and sleeping Yans.

"Man, there's _gotta_ be a way to-"

At that exact moment, sudden and hallowed inspiration hit the thief, forcing a cunning smirk to conquer the thief's visage. Quickly remembering Garnet's summoning, Zidane turned to the young Queen, flailing about wildly as Garnet met his gaze.

"HEY! DAGGER! D'YA STILL HAVE THAT SUMMONING READY!?"

"YES! WHY!?"

Zidane turned to the flailing Yan, wiping a thumb over his bottom lip.

"WHEN I SAY 'NOW', CALL IT!"

Quickly returning to the children and ordering Eiko to dash to Garnet's side, Zidane quickly relayed a plan to Vivi, thereafter sending him dashing after Eiko with a hand held to his straw hat. Pulling his swallow blade from his back and deftly twirling it within his hands, Zidane lined straight for the squirming Yan as he tightly gripped his weapon, maintaining only one prominent afterthought:

'… _Man, I __**really**__ hope this works…'_

Realising a mighty yelp as he swung his blade in a large upward arc, Zidane connected with the Yan, flipping the beast over and onto its momentarily clumsy feet and producing a large, bloody gash across its heavily armoured skull. Needing little more hinting than a furious bleating, Zidane turned tail and lined straight for the sleeping Yan as the corrected Yan proceeded to turn and give murderous chase. Zidane glanced behind him, fearing exactly what he should as a comet came crashing down beside him, blowing the already scarred earth asunder.

"Whoa-hey! Ah, _CRAP! MAYBE THIS WASN'T SUCH A GOOD IDE-YAAAAHH!_"

As another comet spell collided beside the thief, Zidane dashed for all he was worth as Garnet, Eiko and Vivi bore furiously panicking gazes towards him.

"Z-Z-ZIDAAAAAAAANE!"

Barely able to discern the shrieks through the explosions left, right and centre, Zidane closed the distance between the sleeping Yan as Vivi braced himself, pointing his grandiose staff towards the upcoming scenario.

"Not yet, Viv's…"

Zidane barely avoided another comet as he reached towards the sleeping Yan.

"Not yet, Viv's!"

In a moment of scarcely more than perfect timing, Zidane stepped a boot to the head of the sleeping Yan, leapt over the dreary form and turned back towards Vivi and Garnet with a hand cupped over his mouth.

"_NOOOOOOW!_"

"THUNDAGA!"

"Come forth, King of Dragons!"

As Zidane skidded into a turn, a tremendous lightning storm ravaged the immediate vicinity behind him, just as he'd planned. By the time the green orbs of magic began to swirl around Garnet, the two Yans behind the thief had fallen victim to the devastating onslaught of violent lightning that was Vivi's most powerful thunder spell. Tearing the surrounding ground to shreds, the crackling lightning continued to assault the Yans as Zidane dashed towards the group, weapon held proudly behind him as Garnet's aura burst skywards, parting an immense, circular hole within the dreary, greying clouds. The crackling lightning finally dissipated over the smouldering area, revealing the two paralysed and extremely frizzed and frazzled forms of the Yans as Zidane released a whoop of joy.

"WHOO! It's all you now, Dagger!"

A thunderous cry exploded from the circular hole in the heavens as the group clapped their hands to their ears, retreating behind Garnet as an immense and terrifying shadow suddenly swooped over them. The colossal King of Dragons – the mighty and terrible Bahamut – tore madly towards the paralysed Yans, releasing another deafening roar before shooting skyward, slashing ferocious scythes of wind across the grounded foes. Whirling around with enough force to force a recoiling few steps from Zidane and co, Bahamut turned to face the stunned Yans with heavy, violent breaths as Garnet swiftly formed a large, magical shield around the remaining party members.

"Everybody, remain calm!" cried Garnet, opening her arms as Zidane and Eiko eagerly looked past her towards the giant summoning as Vivi ducked his head into his large hat. The Yans attempted again and again to lift themselves from the paralytic confines of the crackling, static hold that Vivi's spell had forced upon them as the King of Dragons roared once more, sending tremors throughout the earth as a giant, fiery sphere exploded to life within the dragon's mouth. In the beautiful blur of absolute power and judgement, Bahamut's rage culminated in an immense beam of pure energy that burst from the Dragon King's mouth, forcing even Bahamut himself to recoil from the force as the thunderous attack burst towards the Yans. Shielding their eyes from the brilliantly bright beam, Zidane, Eiko, Vivi and Garnet remained untouched behind the shield as the tremendous 'Mega Flare' exploded onto the Yans in a dazzling display of crimson energy and whirling flames, scattering shards of lightning about the area. The immense attack reached its climax, soon dwindling to dying embers and faint crackles of life as a staggered bleating emerged from the crater upon which the Yans laid. The Dragon King pierced the air with another violent roar, flapping his giant and powerful wings and returning to his kingdom amidst the clouds.

"… I-I'll n-never get used t-to that…"

The small voice stammered as the owner tugged at his hat, only just managing to peer out of the small hole between his collar and his brim. Zidane supportively patted a hand to Vivi's shoulder as he moved past him.

"I don't think any of us will," he stated, quickly whirling his blade around in his hands as he smiled nervously. "Alrighty, time to _–*gulp*-_ c-confirm the kill…"

As Eiko and Garnet released a sigh of relief, Vivi continued to tug nervously at his hat, watching Zidane advance towards the motionless enemies. Inching towards the lifeless forms of the Yans, Zidane gripped his blade and sucked in a self-calming breath as he raised his weapon over his head. With a mighty yelp of exertion (and fear), Zidane brought the brunt of his blade down across one of the Yan's heads with a dull _twang_, swiftly leaping backwards thereafter and taking to a somewhat comical defensive stance. Noting no movements from the still unmoving foes, Zidane laid claim to the party's victory with a hefty sigh, resting his hands to his knees after he'd fastened his swallow blade onto his back.

"Whew, well I'm glad that's over-"

"Zidaaaaaane!"

Robbed of his momentary peace, Zidane quickly turning to the familiar, croaky voice, scrutinising the distant form of Quina as he/she happily bounded towards the thief with a very noticeable lump protruding from his/her mid-section.

"Yan taste delicious and give more blue magic! This island _amazing!_ We stay for dinner, too?"

Finding a smile creep across his face as Quina performed a signature flurry of loud sniffs, Zidane returned to the approaching forms of Vivi, Eiko and Dagger with a shrug.

"Seriously, I don't think _anything_ could bother Quina," he surmised, laughing as he turned to the corpses of the deceased Yans. Darting between each one, Zidane thoughtfully placed a finger to his chin, darting between the three as he made his way over to the Yan that he'd managed to kill himself.

"…eeeeeeeeeeEEEEEEEEEYYYY!"

Collectively turning towards the amalgamation of voices, Zidane, Eiko, Vivi, Dagger and Quina watched as the dishevelled and extremely fatigued forms of Freya, Steiner and Amarant closed in on the sundered landscape, breathing just as heavily as each other as they collectively crouched over, barely holding the strength to maintain a grip on their weapons. Zidane, as usual, was the first to speak… a notion that was becoming less and less desired.

"Wow… you guys look a bit… _run_ down? Hah! Get it?"

The fierce glares that Zidane received from the trio was almost enough to quell his constantly chipper mood… until he thought it was a good idea to reiterate his sentence. Because, you know, sometimes people don't get jokes…

"Heh, y'know, because you guys had to _run_ all that way…?"

"Keep talking, monkey," Amarant finally stated, scraping his claws over a protruding rock by his feet with an unwelcomingly piercing scraping sound, "just _keep_ talking…"

"Heh, it's good to see you too, guys," Zidane replied cheekily, pointing to the Yans strewn about the scene. "Oh, yeah, and while you were all goofing off, Vivi, Eiko, Dagger 'n' me took out the rest of the Yans. Pretty good, huh?"

"Zidane…" Freya began, finally interjecting with her two cents, "stop talking. Now."

"Heh, party poopers," he replied smugly, shrugging his shoulders and turning back towards his Yan as Freya, Steiner and Amarant took to a much-needed seat upon the charred landscape. Tapping a foot on the ground as a sudden idea occurred to him, Zidane mused over the edges of his swallow blade as he knelt over the insentient animal, running a hand over the fleece of the woollen enemy with a quizzical grin.

"Hey, Amarant…"

"Ugh," came the distinctive groan of the bounty hunter as he sprawled out over the ground, "what?"

A curt smile replaced the grin upon the thief's visage.

"How sharp are your claws?"

Surprised by the remark but hardly one to pass a showing of strength, Amarant recovered to a standing position and confidently flashed his claws before him, performing a series of swipes through the air.

"Sharper than a backstabber's dagger - why?"

A twinkle fashioned in Zidane's eyes as he scrutinized the defeated Yans, flashing images of very, _very_ comfortable clothing within his cunning mind as he tightened his grip around the handle of his swallow blade…

* * *

"There it is!" Freya called excitedly, pointing towards a large building just short of the Synthesis Shop in Treno. The large sign stating "Yvonne: the Famous Tailor of Treno" roused an enthusiastic smile from Amarant, Steiner and Zidane as they each shouldered their Yan skin, advancing along the darkened stone walkway as three members of the party eagerly dashed past them. Garnet, Eiko and Freya had all happily discussed clothing possibilities since Zidane and Amarant decided to skin the animals, preserving the snow-white fleece perfectly, save for a dash of blood or two. Making it to and bursting through the doors before anyone, the three young ladies were greeted by a short, well-rounded and slightly balding man behind the large counter-top, smiling and waving towards them as he flipped a measuring tape over his neck.

"Well, hello pretty ladies and welcome to my tailoring parlour!" he exclaimed happily, shifting a step-ladder beside himself and climbing to the second rung. "Name's Yvonne, mighta seen it on the sign outside!"

"Yes, we certainly did!" replied Garnet as Zidane, Amarant and Steiner pushed their way through the door.

"Yup, yup! We all heard from a very reliable source that you make the most incredible clothing in the entire Mist Continent!" cried Eiko, motioning to Freya as she waved charmingly beside the young girl.

"Good evening, Yvonne."

Suddenly widening his eyes as Vivi and Quina entered the room, Yvonne opened his arms wide as Freya walked towards him, mimicking his motions.

"My darling little Freya! So good to see you again, my dear! How've you been?" Yvonne stated loudly, embracing the Burmecian and performing a kiss to Freya's cheeks as she returned the affections.

"As healthy and youthful as I'm sure you still feel, my love," she replied, to which Yvonne broke from his hold and patted his stoutly belly.

"Not bad for a great, big, fat ol' fart, eh? Hahahah_aaaaaaaah!_"

Sharing a heart-warming moment with her near-life-long friend, Freya turned towards Zidane with a wide smile as Yvonne patted a hand to his balding noggin.

"Zidane, this is my very good friend, Yvonne Terrimousa," she stated, motioning a hand towards Yvonne as he waved from behind the counter. "He's the tailor that runs this shop."

Zidane paused upon Yvonne, noting the waistline of his pants protruding above the counter as he eyed the stepladder that Yvonne stood upon. Quickly darting to Freya and back to Yvonne, in true Zidane fashion, he voiced a thought… without much thought.

"I thought you'd be taller…" Zidane absently mused aloud as Freya's eyes widened. Yvonne, however, broke into a hefty batch of chuckles as he turned to Freya, thankfully halting her stirring reprimanding.

"Hah, that's ok, sonny – so did I! _WHAHAHAHAAAAAH-*WHEEEEEZE!*_"

Yvonne happily slapped at the desk, rousing warm smiles from the entire group as Zidane practically beamed.

"Hah, I think I like this guy!" came his cheerful tone as Yvonne softened his onslaught of laughter, soon clearing his throat and turning to the faces that littered his shop.

"So," Yvonne began, rolling up his sleeves, "what can I do ya for?"

Freya smiled widely as she turned to Zidane.

"I'm sure you can take it from here?"

Zidane released a confident smirk as he nodded to Amarant and Steiner.

"Guys?"

The two swiftly slapped their Yan hides onto the counter as Yvonne recoiled slightly, picking up a pair of glasses from behind the desk and swiftly easing them over his chubby face.

"Now, what's all this then?" he queried as Zidane plonked his own hide on top of Steiner's and Amarant's, proudly wiping a finger across his nose.

"Something that took a _lot_ of work to get, old timer, and something that we're hoping you can work with. Softest stuff I've ever touched!" Zidane stated, shooting a sly look to Garnet as the princess raised a brow. "Even softer tha-_MPH!_"

Slapping an arm across his stomach, Garnet turned disbelievingly towards the thief, rolling her eyes as she recalled the less-than-subtle groping of her backside that Zidane had so cleverly orchestrated upon their disembarkation from Dali. Distracted from their small moment by a sudden gasp of realisation, the pair returned to Yvonne who had lifted the wool barely inches from his face, darting all over the entirety before finally voicing his thoughts.

"This… my God, this is… _Yan fleece!_" he cried, admiring the heavenly softness of the snow-white wool. Zidane swelled with pride, pointing happily towards the three skins as Garnet smiled from his side.

"Yup, that's right! Nothing but one-hundred percent pure, mega-durable Yan hide and we've heard that _you're_ the man to see about making some clothes outta this stuff. So… what can you do for us?"

An irrevocable smile washed over Yvonne's features as he happily pulled his measuring tape from his neck.

"Hah! The _real_ question is 'what do you want'?"

After a small discussion between the party and the ecstatic tailor, measurements were swiftly taken as every order was placed. Agreeing upon spending the next two days admiring the sights of Treno, the party enjoyed much needed time off whilst awaiting their newest trappings. As Steiner and Amarant enjoyed the challenges awaiting them in the Battle Arena, Zidane had quickly found himself bereft of cards as he continued to lose not merely one, but five rounds of Tetra Master in a row as Vivi encouraged him to go again and again, continuously chanting 'this time you'll get 'em'. Quina managed to make it to every source of food in town within the first few hours of the first day as Eiko, Garnet and Freya enjoyed the dark days and darker nights within the vast array of shops, surrounding themselves with all sorts of noble attire and jewellery which they were only too happy to purchase. Returning to the inn after taking the young black mage to the observatory, Zidane and Vivi hadn't made it past the Card Stadium before they were swiftly surrounded by the chirping forms of Garnet, Freya and Eiko as the trio of girls quickly pulled at their arms, dragging them off in an excited rush. Within the hour, the girls had succeeded in hunting down every member of the party and dragging them to Yvonne's as they excitedly waited for the assistants to bring forth their brand new, Yan-wool garments.

An excited matter of minutes passed as Zidane handed over a bag of gil, bade a fond farewell to Yvonne and co and emerged from the tailors one by one, lavished in and more than happy to show off their new and luxuriously soft adornments.

"Hah! Never thought I could look so good!" happily exclaimed Zidane as he proudly adjusted his new cufflinks over the sleeves of his sky-blue overcoat. "Treno hierarchy, look out – there's a new noble in town!"

"Not with a bow-tie as crooked as that, there's not."

Garnet released a small laugh as she approached the beaming thief, boasting a regal orange and white robe, ensuring only a perfect match for her blouse and overalls as she snaked her thumbs underneath Zidane's collar. Laughing as he lifted his neck, Zidane smirked as Garnet gently tugged at his bow tie, finally setting it perfectly and smoothing over it with her thumbs.

"There we go," she sang happily, as Zidane lowered his eyes to meet hers as she touched a thoughtful finger to her lips. "Still, it seems to be missing something…"

Meeting the young Queen's eyes with every fraction of charm that he could muster, Zidane swiftly whirled to her side as he offered his arm to her.

"Perhaps a beautiful partner to compliment such fine attire?"

With a beautiful smile that suited her far too well, Garnet coiled her arm around Zidane's as she stood proudly about the stone walkways, running her spare hand along the length of the incredibly soft robe.

"Well, don't you two look just adorable?"

Freya emerged from the tailors, sporting a simple yet elegant red scarf that was partnered with a matching three-quarter length evening cloak that she proudly glided her hands over.

"Well look who's talking, Miss Midnight Elegance," Zidane jibed as Freya tittered softly, performing a slightly humbled shake of her head as Vivi and Eiko ducked out from behind the Burmecian, quickly dashing to Zidane and Garnet as Eiko happily twirled about.

"What do you think, Zidane? Isn't it just _so_ pretty?" she exclaimed as the patterned, sapphire-blue poncho that had been tailored for the young summoner billowed elegantly in the soft breeze. Zidane and Garnet smiled to each other as Freya approached, holding an arm over the middle of her cloak as Vivi nervously tugged at the collar of his new grandiose wizard robe, decorated in his signature blues and whites. Placing a hand to either of their shoulders as Eiko fastened the straps of her new bright red gloves around her tiny wrists, Zidane smiled happily between the children as they beamed towards him.

"I'd say we're all about ready to show these Treno nobles some _real _class! Whaddaya say?"

"Not without a Royal Escort, says I!"

As every eye of the group suddenly turned to the doors of the tailor, Captain Adelbert Steiner emerged proudly unto the stone pathway as the party turned to the knight's garment - a majestic red cape with none other than the Royal Alexandrian Crest emblazoned upon the back. Zidane raised a brow as Garnet clapped delightedly.

"Why, I've never seen you look so respectable, _Captain Steiner_," she trilled as Steiner beamed proudly.

"A tad shy of customary tradition, I'm sure, but rather becoming, if I do say so myself!" he proudly exclaimed, taking the left-most section of his cape within his hands and fanning it out.

"_Most_ becoming of such nobility, Captain," reiterated Freya with a small curtsy as Steiner returned with a low bow.

"Why, thank you, m'lady! A fine attire adorns you also!" he replied humbly. Returning from his bow, he caught the raised brow of Zidane glancing towards him as he turned to the thief, suddenly becoming rather flustered.

"Wh-what is it, Zidane? You wish to ridicule my garment? My sense of fashion? My undying faith to Alexandria?" he asked rather curtly, to which Zidane pleasantly surprised him with a soft shaking of his head as, to the Captain's astonishment, the thief performed a bow besides Garnet.

"A most dignified and majestic choice, Captain," he stated, meeting the Captain's dubious gaze with absolute sincerity. "As soon as Amarant and Quina come out, I'd be honoured if you'd lead the way."

Needing little more fuel for his sufficiently inflated ego, Steiner swiftly passed the children to the head of the party as he turned, now rather anxious for Amarant and Quina to walk through the doors of Yvonne's.

"However, I do have one question," Zidane piped up as he turned to Steiner who returned with a raised brow. "How come just the cape?"

Steiner smiled as he met the eyes of the thief.

"Well, I also had an under-shirt fashioned, which obviously remains hidden from view," he stated, tapping his breastplate. "After all, comfort whilst training is of utmost importance!"

"Couldn't agree more, Rusty."

Turning to the gravelly voice as the final two members of the party emerged from the tailors, Zidane eyed Amarant strangely as it appeared there was nothing on the man that had changed, whereas Quina happily bounded behind him, more than content with a new chef's hat and a pink and white Qu's Robe.

"New clothes very comfy! Comfortable Gourmand make good food! Quina's cooking get more tasty now! I… I so happy!"

Zidane smiled towards the Qu, amazed at somehow still managing to relate the subject back to food before he turned to Amarant.

"What's the deal, big guy?" he asked, motioning towards him. "Aren't you getting anything?"

Amarant grunted as he lifted the bottom of his green vest, revealing a tight white shirt stretched across his muscular waist.

"Got an undershirt like Rusty there," he stated, pointing towards Steiner who raised an unsure brow. "Comfort while training, y'know. Also fixed myself up with new wristbands. Geez, are you blind or something?"

"Heh, I guess I just don't pay enough attention."

Happily shrugging towards the giant man, Zidane returned to Steiner, knowing full well that the knight was eager to begin his lead as he lit up upon Zidane's gaze.

"Alrighty th…"

Stopping quickly as he turned to Garnet, a sly smile crossed Zidane's features as he cleared his throat.

"… _Very well_, then. Captain, if you could lead the way?"

A dazzling smile from the young Queen set Zidane's heart aflutter as Steiner happily saluted.

"Very well, _Master Zidane_," he replied with a wide grin as he motioned for the group to follow him. Freya and Eiko quickly moved to Steiner's rear, happily talking about their new garments as Zidane made his way towards Garnet, blissfully unaware that a young mage had made his way towards him.

"Z-Zidane…"

Quickly turning to the bright eyes of his young friend, Zidane crouched by Vivi's side as Amarant and Quina passed them, eager to catch up to the remaining party as Garnet remained stationary, awaiting the thief's escort as he patted a hand to Vivi's tiny shoulder. "What's up, Viv's?"

Vivi happily fiddled with his fingers as he darted his eyes to Garnet as she smiled and waved, only scarce few metres away. He prayed that she wouldn't hear his inquiry as he turned happily to his 'big brother', cupping his hands over his mouth and reaching for Zidane's ear.

"A-are you gonna propose to D-Dagger once this is all done?"

Zidane's eyes burst open upon the whispered suggestion as he darted to Garnet, quickly averting his eyes back to Vivi with a nervous laugh.

"Hah, u-ummm, I-I haven't _really_ thought a-about it-"

"C'mon Zidane, y-you think about Dagger all the time! I'll bet you've a-already planned how you're going to d-do it, haven't you-"

"_SHHH!_"

Hushing the excitable mage as Garnet suddenly eyed the commotion unsurely, she made to approach the boys as a raised finger from Zidane halted her movements.

"Hang on a sec, Dagger," he said, quickly motioning towards himself and Vivi, "guy talk, won't be long!"

As a suddenly surprised smile shone upon her face, Garnet nodded and turned towards the leaving party as they continued to chat away. Zidane returned to Vivi as he raised a suspicious brow.

"Hah, alright, then. I've _thought_ about it, yeah. But c'mon, Vivi – I'm a thief, a commoner. Dagger's… she's a _Queen._ After all this is over… heh, I can't start my day without her, but… Hmmm. I dunno, buddy – what do you think? You honestly think she'd have me?"

Vivi turned to Garnet once more as she continued to glance towards the party. The moon gently gleamed within her jet-black hair as she returned to the two boys, meeting Vivi's gaze as he waved towards her.

"I-I bet she'd give up Alexandria for you, Zidane."

Vivi quickly returned to Zidane with his bright and intelligent eyes as Zidane smiled happily, patting a hand over Vivi's hat and mussing it around.

"Is that so?"

Vivi nodded intently, correcting his hat as Zidane beamed towards Garnet, remembering fondly the night he'd spent with her by the luminous lake only a few short weeks ago… and how she'd told him that she _loved_ him. As he found himself suddenly instilled with a newfound courage, Zidane folded his arms matter-of-factly as he smiled, unable to quell the sudden butterflies rising within his stomach.

"Well then, just for you, I'll do it. Hah, you convinced me, alright? When this is all done, I'll propose to her," he said, patting a hand to the mage's back as they returned towards Garnet. "And after she says yes, we can all live in Alexandria castle as one big happy family. Sound good to you?"

A feverish nodding and a happy 'mhm' from the young mage held Zidane's spirits high as he rested his gaze upon the form of his beloved.

"As soon as this is all over. I'll make sure to do it in front of the whole kingdom as well, so you'd better be watching, just so I can kick your butt if you're wrong!"

"Hehehe! I-I'll be in the front row! You can't propose without your l-little brother there!"

Zidane laughed, nodding in agreement as Vivi dashed past Garnet with delighted eyes, making his way towards the group as Zidane met Garnet's side with a broad smile.

"What was all that about, hmmm?" she quizzed as Zidane laughed, suddenly surrounded by images of Garnet in a beautiful white dress, surrounded by an arc of white roses. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Zidane offered his hand towards the young lady once more.

"Like I said – guy stuff. Shall we?"

As Vivi scurried ahead to join Eiko at the head of the line, Garnet quickly worked her hands around Zidane's arms as the two slowly strode off into the night… and Zidane couldn't help but _finally_ feel – lavished in his new attire – that he _just_ might be worth his beloved Dagger's time after all…

* * *

Honestly, I thought it was about time that someone gave ol' Rusty a cape. I think after going through the entire game and not getting to kiss Beatrix, he's earned it. :P

Also… who's excited for the wedding!? Yeayah! Zidane and Dagger, sittin' in the tree…

Comments, reviews, messages, thoughts, statements, questions, suggestions – don't discriminate, just communicate! (lemme alone, I'm on heavy cold 'n' flu meds)

Good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


	14. The Ties That Remain

**For my little brother – Taken far too young but never far from my thoughts. Hope you remember me when I come to join you.**

_**~Link.**_

* * *

_After leaping into the endearing arms of her lost love, tears fell in rivers from the eyes of Queen Garnet Til Alexandros as Zidane tightened his arms around her, sharing a tender kiss with his beloved before the entire kingdom of Alexandria as the audience erupted in immense cheer and applause. Only one thing was amiss about the ethereal moment as Zidane reached into his pocket… one small, unfitting detail that roused an unfortunate question from the beaming thief._

"_Wait a sec… where's Vivi?"_

_Lavished in the dress she'd donned on the eve of her sixteenth birthday, Garnet had made well on her ascent back towards the castle on the arm of her beloved before the confronting query had been raised. Garnet ducked her eyes towards the group of Vivi clones as they happily cheered from the grand stands, looking eagerly towards the stage as Baku and the remaining members of Tantalus performed incredibly dramatic bows. She knew the truth – they all did – but how were they to tell him? Zidane followed the timid gaze of the Queen, darting over the forms of his old teammates… all except one, and he suddenly felt a lump welling in his throat._

"_Dagger..."_

_The euphoria of returning to his beloved seemed all but forgotten, stolen away from him as Garnet turned to the boy, tears within her deep brown eyes as Zidane removed his hand from his pocket._

"_None of those mages are Vivi. Where is he?"_

_Garnet felt her heart break, almost as though she was receiving the news for the first time all over again as Freya and Eiko swiftly joined the two, happy smiles rapidly fading upon the sight of the thief's sunken visage. Allowing the ceremony to pass without them, the four made their way to Garnet's personal chambers where Garnet took rest upon her chair. After Zidane darted to the paining faces of his friends, Garnet hesitantly divulged the words that Zidane wouldn't allow himself to believe – Vivi Ornitier, Zidane's 'younger brother', had passed away in his absence._

"_No, he didn't."_

_Garnet expected such an answer – she didn't want to believe it just as much as she knew it to be true._

"_When we were told, we had trouble believing it as well, Zidane…"_

_Zidane made his way towards Garnet's duchess, placing a hand upon the intricately detailed carvings across the top as he smoothed his fingers over his suddenly temperate brow._

"_No. That's not… no, alright?"_

_Zidane shook his head and narrowed his brows, darting aimlessly around the room as Freya walked towards him, praying he'd find a way to listen to her._

"_Zidane, it happened almost two months ago-"_

"_NO!" Zidane bellowed, cutting Freya off as he clenched his fists and darted panicking eyes around the room. "That's just not how it goes, alright!? Little brothers don't… LITTLE BROTHERS DON'T DIE! They just DON'T! Where is-"_

_***Clank!***_

"_Your majesty! What's going o-"_

_Captain Adelbert Steiner pushed open the doors and dashed into the room upon the thief's outburst, closely followed by Beatrix. After darting around the ocean of gloomy faces, Steiner came to rest upon Zidane's infuriated eyes as Beatrix closed the large wooden doors behind them._

"_You! Steiner!"_

_Steiner stood taken aback towards the youth as, for practically the first time since he'd known the thief, Zidane bellowed his name instead of his favoured moniker, 'Rusty'. Zidane stormed towards him, reaching furious hands towards his armour as he latched onto the Captain's breastplate._

"_Vivi was supposed to be here. We promised each other we'd all be here together, one big happy family! THAT'S how it's going to happen, so WHERE IS HE!?"_

_Steiner's flabbergasted appearance soon sank into solemn understanding. He darted from the enraged thief to the sullen forms of the women as Beatrix sympathetically eyed the despairing youth._

"_You've told him, then?" Steiner softly asked, pausing on the eyes of the Queen as Zidane snapped._

"_DON'T GIMME THAT FUCKING BULLSHIT!"_

_Zidane shoved Steiner away, forcing the knight to take a recovering step backwards as he steadied himself. Zidane's absence had certainly not become his strength in the slightest. Steiner recovered to stand at attention, facing the thief as he stood ready to pounce._

"_Don't you DARE give me that! No more games, Steiner - you tell me where he is NOW!"_

_Steiner sighed heavily as Beatrix met the thief's panic-stricken visage with a saddened eye, turning away just as soon as he turned to her._

"_We aren't playing games, Zidane," muttered Steiner, clearing his throat and lowering his eyes. "Master Vivi has passed-"_

"_Shut up."_

"_-on. The news arrived only two months-"_

"_I said shut up, Steiner!"_

"_-ago. A Moogle by the name of Stiltzkin came from-" _

"_STOP LYING TO ME!"_

_Steiner paused, praying for a way to get through to the boy as a tiny voice sounded from behind the thief._

"_Z-Zidane, w-we're telling you the truth! Vivi's… he's-"_

"_SHUT UP, EIKO!"_

_The tiny summoner squeaked out a yelp, silenced harshly by Zidane as he darted between the entire group, light-headed and confused before he returned to Eiko._

"_This… it just… SH-SHUT UP! It's not true, alright!? It's NOT, so STOP ACTING LIKE IT IS!" Zidane began, closing his eyes in a mixture of rage and despair. "That doesn't happen, alright!? I'M the older brother; I die first, and we're all gonna die old and happy after living a full life! If you think for a second that I'm gonna believe this that he's gone, then y-OOMPH!"_

_Cut short of his tirade by a small weight colliding with his chest, Zidane opened his tearing eyes, met by a mop of dark blue hair as small, quivering arms wrapped around his mid-section._

"_It's alright, Zidane. You can cry. You don't have to hold it in, remember?"_

_Zidane suddenly fell devoid of his anger, slowly being consumed by grief as Eiko trembled against him. Soft sobs echoed through the room as Garnet rose from her chair, inching towards the thief as Eiko continued._

"_None of us wanted to believe it. No one did. But…"_

_Zidane felt a heavy hand land atop his shoulder as Eiko buried her face in his chest. Turning around, Zidane found the understanding eyes of Steiner and Beatrix fixated upon his own distraught gaze, filled with every fragment of sorrow that had swallowed the thief._

"_Master Vivi passed away one month and twenty-seven days ago, Zidane. He's been buried alongside his family, in the Black Mage Village."_

_Zidane darted to Garnet, forcing her to a standstill as she held as heartbreaking a look as was so prevalent upon the thief's visage. Beatrix approached the boy from Steiner's side, bowing her head as Zidane's breathing quickened._

"… _N… n-n-no… that's… that can't happen… n-not to Viv's…"_

_Zidane darted around the room, praying that he was having a bad dream… praying that Blank would shake him awake, tell him that it's almost time for the performance and boot him out of bed, just like he'd grown accustomed to for so many years…  
Praying… that Vivi would be there in the grandstands, waiting for Zidane to propose as he embraced Garnet for the first time since they'd parted at the Iifa Tree… but that was a foolish hope, and he was beginning to believe it. Freya approached the boy, managing a painful smile as Zidane met her eyes, almost breaking down then and there._

"_F-Freya… c-c'mon, just t-tell me it's n-not true…"_

_Zidane pleaded towards the knight, hoping for any response other than what he received. Unable to speak the words the youth so desperately wished to hear, Freya closed her eyes and allowed a single, lonely tear to journey down her furred cheek. Eiko's arms tightened around Zidane as he finally succumbed to the loss, falling to his knees and wrapping his arms around Eiko as Garnet and Freya dashed to either side of him._

"_Not V-Vivi… please, God… n-not V-Viv's… n-not m-my little b-b…"_

_Freya wrapped her arms around the despairing thief and sobbing child, holding Zidane's head to her shoulder as she gently swayed with his motions._

"_It's alright, Zidane, let it out. We're all here, sweetheart, we're all here for you…"_

_Zidane held a shuddering hand to Freya's back as the Burmecian was brought to tears, hanging her head over the thief's shoulder. Eiko released a quick hiccupping sob, reassuring Zidane that she felt that she'd also lost a little brother when the news arrived. Garnet placed gentle fingers to Zidane's cheek as he turned to her, finding the paining eyes of his lover matching his despair as tears fell from her pale cheeks. Removing his hold from Eiko's back and easing his hand over Garnet's trembling fingers, Zidane took Garnet's hand from his cheek, holding it in his own as he choked out the hardest sentence he'd ever have to articulate:_

"… _I… h-have to see the g-grave…"_

* * *

"He's… he's really g-gone…"

The fiery glow of two tall oil torches illuminated the scene as Zidane, Garnet, Freya and Eiko stood before the cemetery in the Black Mage Village. A large, concrete tombstone stayed fast behind a small rectangle of reddened dirt, housing the base of a familiar weapon that the thief immediately recognised – the Oak Staff that Zidane had found at the very start of their adventure together. Daffodil flowers littered the grave site, shining patches of golden bliss across the otherwise austere sight. Shining below the proudly worn staff was a silver plaque, bearing an inscription that almost brought Zidane to tears:

_Here lies Vivi Ornitier, the first of our kind  
to move without strings._

… _The only one who never truly stopped._

_Your strength will never be forgotten._

_~ Mr. 288_

"We tried to preserve the staff as best we could."

Zidane, Garnet, Eiko and Freya turned towards the voice, finding a black mage holding a large wooden staff standing just proud of the wooden steps of a nearby hut. Zidane met the glowing yellow eyes of the mage, immediately reminded of the timid gaze of his young friend as he staggered a breath.

"… Mr. 288… y-you made the… tombstone?" he managed weakly, feeling Garnet's delicate hand cover his shoulder as he fought to come to terms with the fact that Vivi, his little brother, was gone. The mage nodded, motioning towards the rigid staff.

"It was Mister One's only wish that his most treasured possession remain proud for all to see. He said it was a gift from the greatest person he'd ever known."

Zidane closed his eyes, crunching his hands into painful fists as Eiko quickly took hold of one of his arms. Relaxing his hands as he turned to Vivi's grave once more, Zidane eased his eyes open, resting upon the proudly standing staff. For a second, just a fleeting moment, Zidane returned to the day he'd given the staff to the young mage – how his crescent shaped eyes shone as he reached happily for the staff, the way he showed it off to Garnet and Steiner…

"I understand that Mister one… _Vivi_ was your friend?"

Zidane nodded sadly, lost in his thoughts as Eiko looked up towards him.

"Y-yeah… he was…"

"Z-Zidane was the one who… who gave Vivi that s-staff. He _-*hic*- _always talked about it," Eiko squeaked towards Mr. 288 as he turned to Zidane, nodding understandingly towards him.

"… Very well then. This must be difficult for you. I shall leave you be… and thank-you, Zidane."

The thief's eyes darted upwards as he turned from the grave to the mage.

"Wh-what for?" he asked, wondering what the mage could possibly have wanted to thank him for. Pausing for just a moment, Mr. 288 turned to Vivi's grave.

"… Everything that Vivi taught us in the short time he was with us… he said he learnt from the person who gave him that staff. The Genomes and… and the mages who remain, we thank you."

Almost as though the environment seemed to sympathise with the grief-stricken thief, soft raindrops suddenly began to fall upon Zidane's blonde hair. A thin layer of clouds formed a dark blue throw over the sky's diamond as Zidane raised his eyes to the moon. As heavy footprints sounded from behind him, Zidane turned to Eiko as she lowered her small hand to his, hooking around three of his large fingers as Zidane lightly closed his hand over hers.

"… I… I miss him too, Zidane…" the young summoner whispered, resting a cheek against Zidane's hand as tears fell from her eyes. Rousing nothing but a tremble from the thief, Eiko released Zidane's hand as she looked up towards him.

"Zidane-?"

"Can I just… have a minute, guys… please…"

Eiko watched as Zidane hung his head and closed his eyes, unable to understand why he'd want to be alone, now of all times. Freya, however, immediately understood the need of her heartbroken 'little brother'. She placed a sympathetic hand to Zidane's shoulder as Eiko gave the thief's waist another quick squeeze, thereafter prompted away by the rain that tickled her nose.

"Take as much time as you need, dear. We'll be waiting with Steiner and Beatrix at the inn."

Garnet inched forward, weaving her fingers betwixt the thief's as Eiko tottered off after Freya. Granting her one quick glance of his hollow eyes, Garnet pushed a gentle kiss to his cheek as Zidane gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"I'm right here, Zidane – and I'll always be here. Come back to us when you're ready."

Managing a weak smile, Zidane raised a hand to Garnet's soft cheek as he placed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'll stay close."

A small smile re-claimed Garnet's lips as she butted her head to the thief's shoulder, thereafter releasing his hand and turning from the cemetery. Zidane remained still, listening to the footsteps of his beloved until the creaking of the floorboards was swallowed by the softly falling rain, anxiously performing its dance amongst the treetops. It was a cruel fate that had befallen the young mage, one that Zidane desperately couldn't come to terms with. With a deep breath, Zidane curled his tail to the side and eased himself downward, raising his knees to his chest and resting his arms upon them as he eyed the tri-spoke head of Vivi's favourite staff.

"… How long did you wait for me to come back, Viv's?" he began, finding mild comfort, but comfort nonetheless, in talking to the grave. "I know you, heh. Y-you would have panicked. You're hopeless without me, y'know…"

Finding tears growing within his presumably dried out eyes, Zidane quickly swiped the back of his hand across his face, attempting to quell the waterworks with little success.

"… Mr. 288 says that you learnt a-all this stuff from me… but that was stuff that you l-learnt for yourself, Vivi. Goddamnit… you didn't even learn how to give yourself credit, man! -_*Hic!*-_ Some kinda teacher I t-turned out to be … _crap_… I never e-even got to teach you why D-Dagger and Rusty were so upset about 'p-pitching tents', hah! _-*sniff!*-_ … I-I promised to do that wh-when you were older… Oh, Christ, Vivi… what'd I miss? Was… w-was there somethin' that I c-could have done? D-did K-Kuja really know how to m-make you guys live l-longer?"

Zidane clamped his eyes shut for a moment, releasing a largely restrained breath as he gently began to rock back and forth.

"I-I tried to get outta there, Viv's, I tried… it t-took me so long to d-dig my way outta the Iifa Tree… hah, but K-Kuja saved my life. Can you believe that? I t-told you that there was g-good in everyone… th-that there's a hero in all of us. R-remember that time in Gizamaluke's Grotto, when I'd just saved Dagger from the Grand Dragon and had gotten really b-badly injured? Your 'hero' came out that day, man. Moguta spent so much time buffing you up, telling us all how brave you were, fighting your way through to get that Elixir for me… hah, a-and you have the guts to say that I saved _your_ life?"

Unbeknownst to Zidane, a small body began to inch towards him, listening intently to the thief's one-sided conversation.

"… I wished that you could have b-been there today, Vivi. Even when I looked at your clones, I knew you weren't there. Heh, you kinda r-ruined the moment – th-thanks for that, hah!"

Zidane released a nervous laugh as he wiped away at his tears, the rain still falling gently as a blanketed form approached him.

"I-I didn't want this, Viv's… y-you and D-Dagger and me… we were supposed to be a b-big, happy family… Dagger would b-be your sister-in-law and I'd be what I always was – your big brother. P-plus, w-we'd have Mikoto – that's a big sis for you! We'd all live i-in Alexandria with a big, rusty grandpa and a chirpy little sister as well, heh. T-top it off with a big fat c-crazy cook, a mothering Burmecian and a strong-and-silent Uncle that n-no one talks to…"

Zidane cupped his face in his hands as he shut his eyes again, unable to find the willpower to erase the happy future from his wanting mind.

"Th-that's how i-it should have been! What… wh-why didn't it happen…"

"This is… grief, isn't it?"

Startled, Zidane turned towards the voice, wiping his tearing eyes as he gazed upon his own cerulean eyes, matched perfectly with only slightly longer blonde hair than his own.

"M-Mikoto! Wh-what are you doing out here?" he asked, continuing to wipe his face as Mikoto walked up beside him. "I-it's raining, y-you're… gonna catch a cold…"

Advancing to his side, Mikoto extended her arm towards Zidane, offering the trembling thief a portion of the blanket she'd draped herself in.

"So are you, if you sit outside talking to Vivi all night."

Zidane's eyes widened at the statement as Mikoto met his gaze. As a question nearly left his lips, Zidane swiftly found words robbed from him as soon as he saw a smile creep over Mikoto's lips – a _smile!_

"Would you like some company?"

Not waiting for an answer, the young Genome quickly flicked her tail to the side, eased herself down and cloaked her big brother in half of the blanket that she'd brought with her. A smile re-claimed Zidane as he pulled the blanket over himself properly, watching as Mikoto inched herself closer to him.

"Y-yeah… company would actually… yeah."

Zidane's surprise escalated as he felt an arm snake around his back, soon followed by another around his front as Mikoto tightened an embrace around her long lost brother. Zidane's smile grew as he observed his younger sister – Mikoto had never shown any emotions before this. In fact, she shied away from affection whole-heartedly.

"Hah, what's all this then?" he asked, darting his eyes over Mikoto's face as she shrugged against him.

"It's called 'hugging', 'cuddling' or 'embracing'. It's an affectionate form of physical contact used to comfort others and to let them know that you're there for them."

Zidane felt his smile expand as he admired how much Mikoto had learnt in his absence – she'd grown up so fast…

"Well look at you," he mused, turning to his younger sister as she continued to latch to his side, "all grown up and hugging people. Heh, I couldn't be more proud-"

"But clearly, you need more practice in your own customs," she replied, to which Zidane seemed slightly taken aback. "When a hug is given, it's courteous to reciprocate."

Zidane's eyes widened towards the young girl as she tilted her head upwards, meeting the perfect cerulean replicas of her own sparkling gaze. Realising through his silence that Zidane far from understood, she re-worded her wants as simply as she could.

"Zidane, I'm sad and cold."

With a suddenly warmed and understanding heart, Zidane reached a loving arm around his younger sister, pulling her closer to him as she smiled and released a small titter.

"You're learning."

A small laugh left Zidane as he shook his head.

"More like… remembering," he replied, happily sharing his first embrace with his little sister.

"I can't imagine it's easy to forget how to hug someone."

Zidane chuckled again as Mikoto nestled next to him, happy enough to sit in silence as the gentle rain brushed across their hair. Minutes passed in silence as Zidane and Mikoto remained motionless before Zidane's younger sister broke the silence, voicing the only thought that she surmised Zidane needed to know.

"… He idolised you."

Zidane blinked as he fixated on the grave before him, the tri-pointed tip of the Oak Staff glistening in the soft torch-light as Mikoto tightened her arms around her brother.

"He always called you his big brother. I never understood that. Brothers are supposed to be related by blood," she began, keeping an unwavering stare towards the daffodils that swayed gently in the calm night air. "But then he started to talk about family. I understood that. You and I are family, because we have the same father, correct?"

Zidane, confused by her words but far from disinterested, nodded slowly as she continued.

"Vivi taught us of the bonds of friendship – how they can go beyond that of family, how they can survive the cruel tests of time, hardship and pain… but most interestingly, how, no matter what comes to pass, the ties remain. Even in death, Vivi still teaches us… he still remains. I think… he wanted to teach you that as well."

Zidane turned, teary-eyed towards his younger sister, watching as her eyes shone intelligently in the dull glow of the flaming kerosene lamps.

"He would have wanted you to remember him with happiness, Zidane. All the times you shared…"

A stirring movement from the young girl had a small envelope placed within Zidane's hand as the thief turned to the rising from of his younger sister. As she replaced the blanket around her brother, Mikoto smiled again, motioning towards the envelope in Zidane's hands.

"Vivi's last sentiments. The envelope was addressed to you… unless he called someone else 'big brother'."

As Zidane's eyes widened, he lifted the sealed envelope to his eyes, finding the title _'For my big brother when he comes home' _written across the front. As Zidane heard gentle footsteps behind him, he whirled around to find Mikoto turning onto the wooden steps.

"When you're ready to come inside, we'll have a bed waiting for you," she said, turning to Zidane with one more tiny smile. "Try not to stay out too long."

Before he had a chance to answer (or protest), Mikoto ascended the staircase and was swiftly swallowed by the night. Wide-eyed, Zidane returned to the grave before him, blissfully unaware of the sudden and violent trembling that had stirred within his hands as his thoughts, once more, turned to his little brother. Ducking to the letter within his quivering fingers, Zidane turned to the grave once more, closed his eyes painfully and tore the envelope open. As he pulled the large piece of parchment from the tattered wrapper, Zidane gently placed the remains onto the ground beside him as he unfolded the letter, succumbing to tears upon reading the very first line.

* * *

_To the best big brother I ever had,_

_I always knew you'd come back to us, Zidane. Even now, while I'm  
writing this letter to you, Mikoto says she can still sense you. Of course,  
some people are losing hope… but not us. I told everyone to hold on,  
to stay strong, just like you always did. I'll bet everyone's really excited  
to have you back, aren't they? I'll bet Dagger cried. She really missed  
you. I'm sorry I didn't make it, but…  
I never forgot about you. Never._

_I always talked about you, Zidane, and how you were a very special  
person to us, because you taught us all how important life is. Most of  
all, you taught me that life doesn't last forever. That's why we have  
to help each other, and live each and every day to the fullest. Even if  
you did say goodbye, you would have always stayed in our hearts.  
That was how I knew we weren't alone… not anymore._

_I had so many questions, Zidane… so many things I wanted to know –  
why I was born, how I wanted to live… what my purpose was. You…  
you gave me time to think. You were there through it all. Even though  
everyone else was always so many steps ahead of me, you always  
stayed by my side, no matter what. You walked beside me instead of  
in front of me, even if I slowed you down. Sorry about that, by the  
way – short legs, you know?_

_But you never stopped. You always pushed us, especially me, to keep  
on going, to keep doing what you set your heart on… and that's a  
very hard thing to do. We were all so courageous because of you…_

_But what to do when I felt lonely? That was the only thing you  
couldn't teach me. I wondered why - you'd always been able to help  
with everything else, but then it hit me. That was something we  
needed to figure out for ourselves. That was what you were trying  
to tell me all along… right?_

_It's getting harder to move with each passing day. But… it doesn't  
hurt, if that makes any sense? It just feels like I'm coming to the  
end of another journey with everyone!_

…_I'm so happy that I met everyone, Zidane… really. I wish we could  
have gone on more adventures… but I guess we all have to say  
goodbye someday._

_I miss you, Zidane. I miss you a lot, but I know I won't be here by  
the time you get back._

_I know it may seem unfair, I know… I didn't even get to see you  
propose to Dagger, like you said you would. I won't ask you not  
to cry. If this was put in reverse and I was reading YOUR last letter…  
Even though I can't actually do it, I'd find a way to cry my eyes  
out – besides, big brothers live forever, right?_

_So, Zidane, before I stop for good… I want to thank you. You were the  
best friend that I could have ever asked for. Everything you did for me  
and anything you taught me… I want you to know that it stayed with  
me until the end. That's why I chose to have that staff positioned over  
my grave – the one you found for me, remember? It was the first  
present I ever got… and I want it to show everyone that comes to the  
village that angels really do exist… in the form of big brothers.  
Thank you, Zidane… for showing me what it means to live.  
My memories will become parts of the sky… so always look to the  
heavens… and I'll never be far from any of you._

_I'll never forget you, not ever, so don't forget to smile. I'll be watching!_

_~ Your little brother, Vivi Ornitier._

* * *

Zidane released a quick, staggered laugh as tears cascaded down his face. Wiping his eyes and trying his best to fulfil his little brothers last wish, Zidane allowed a smile to creep onto his face, a mixture of sadness and reminiscence as he watched the torch's flicker patches of fading light upon Vivi's grave. As the soft rain continued to fall, Zidane clutched the letter to his chest, folding it safely into his vest to protect it from the small raindrops that he was sure had already littered the page. Raising his paining eyes to the staff that stood proudly upon Vivi's tombstone, Zidane suddenly saw a glimpse of light – a way for him to keep his promise as best he could. Quickly scrambling to his feet and remembering a small box that he'd kept in his pocket, Zidane wiped his eyes for one final time as he turned to Vivi's grave.

"I'll be right back, buddy!"

As he clambered up the steps, Mikoto's blanket in hand and one thought prominent in his mind as he dashed along the wooden walkways, making his way to the only person he needed to see. Rounding the final circular house and pushing open the door to the inn, Zidane met the faces of his friends and allies – Freya, Eiko, Steiner, Beatrix, Mr. 288, Mikoto… and Garnet – all staring surprisingly towards them.

"Hi, guys!"

Quicker than anyone could comprehend, Zidane bolted into the room and scooped Garnet into his arms, rousing a panicked 'eep' from the young Queen as he threw Mikoto's blanket over the empty chair and dashed out of the open door just as swiftly as he'd entered.

"Bye, guys!"

As the door slowly creaked to a close, a rather confused Freya, Eiko, Steiner, Beatrix, Mr. 288 and Mikoto all exchanged glances as Steiner broke the silence.

"… What in heaven's name just happened?"

"Zidane! Wh-what's g-going on!?"

As the thief deftly leapt the steps before the cemetery, Garnet held herself to his frame for dear life as he practically screeched to a halt just before Vivi's grave.

"You're _-*huff!*- _about _-*puff!*-_ to find out!"

Taking a moment to compose himself as he released Garnet, prompting the young Queen to trace his form with wide, somewhat worried eyes, Zidane inhaled and released one last deep breath as Garnet noticed a definitive trembling from his hands.

"Alrighty… phew, legs don't fail me now!"

"Zidane, what are you talking about?"

Swiftly taking one of Garnet's hands in his own, Zidane proceeded to completely shatter Garnet's worries and thought pattern as he pulled her into a deep, long and beyond passionate kiss. Allowing herself to fall helplessly within the sanctuary of his charms, Garnet felt her knees prominently loosen before Zidane broke away, returning her to her senses… even if she didn't particularly _want_ to return.

"I promised Vivi that – _no,_ I promised _myself_ that I'd do this when I got back, but I promised Vivi that I wouldn't do it without him there…"

Zidane suddenly turned to the sky, pointing towards the clouds of rain with an irrevocable smile.

"… So, you'd better be watching, alright!?"

Immediately wondering what the thief was playing at once again, Garnet allowed a small smile to grace her features as she shook her head with a laugh.

"Zidane, would you just tell me what's going o-"

"Dagger."

Before she could finish the sentence, Garnet felt a gentle finger placed against her lips.

"Just stop talking. It's my turn now."

Zidane seemed to gasp for air as he gently replaced his hands within Garnet's as the young woman could feel the tremors cascading through the thief's fingertips.

"Wha… Z-Zidane, you're… shaking…?"

As Zidane bowed his head and gently attempted to shake the nerves away, he found himself unable to quell the smile from his face.

"D-Dagger, I… _phew_, geez, this is _hard!_ Phew… alright, uh…"

Small titters escaped the young Queen as Zidane began to laugh nervously, burning with panic as his trembling increased.

"Alright… Dagger. My beloved Dagger. Throughout the last year, our adventure together, getting the opportunity to spend almost every day with you, growing to know you… to _love_ you… I realised something about you when I stayed back at the Iifa Tree to try to save Kuja."

Garnet met Zidane's eyes, clearly unknowing of the necessity that the story held.

"After it collapsed, I was trapped for weeks. The first day that passed, I felt a huge emptiness inside of me. I thought it was just the fact that Kuja sacrificed himself to save me, but as the days wore into weeks, I knew that wasn't the case. So, I continued to wonder as I dug my way out of the branches, to try and find what it was that had left me."

"Z-Zidane, I-"

Zidane gently squeezed Garnet's hands as his nervous smile compressed itself, allowing a fervent happiness to take its place.

"It was at that time that I remembered your… heh, _our _song, so… I tried singing it… but it never felt quite the same as when you sang it to me. So I dug and dug and dug, scraped away at everything I could until I finally pulled myself outta the Iifa Tree and into the sunshine. But, as opposed to what I thought, it wasn't a lack of sunshine that made the emptiness – well, not really. So, long story short, I made my way to the Black Mage Village and found a Moogle that helped me get in contact with Tantalus… but, after meeting with my family, the emptiness still remained… and it wasn't until I remembered something as I listened to Ruby singing one day…"

Garnet met the eyes of the boy, still very, _very_ confused as to what the sudden story-telling session entailed.

"It wasn't the song that was missing, it wasn't Tantalus, it wasn't any of that… and it wasn't until I realised that, for the last year… almost every day that I'd wake up, I'd wake up to your smile, your voice… I'd wake up to _you._"

As Zidane removed a hand from Garnet's suddenly faltering grip, for a reason unbeknownst to her, the young woman found a sudden nervousness welling within her chest.

"Dagger, in all the time that I was stuck inside the Iifa Tree, the only person that stayed on my mind every single day, without fail, was you. You are all I thought about – all I _think _about – and everything I wanted to come home to… _You_ are the beautiful jewel that I was missing."

As Zidane reached into his pocket, the subtle nervousness that stirred in Garnet's chest exploded into a flurry of panic and euphoria as she watched the young man reveal a small, maroon box.

"God knows I'm not perfect, Dagger, but when I'm around you… I feel complete. There's no more emptiness, no more rain… you fill my days with happiness, and I want to cherish those days for the rest of my life."

Slapping a hand to her mouth as Zidane suddenly dropped to one knee, Garnet gasped as tears began to fill her eyes.

"Queen Garnet Til Alexandros… my princess, my friend, my love… I present you with one question and the only ring I've _ever_ bought in my entire life..."

Garnet squeaked out a tiny laugh as Zidane deftly popped the small box open, revealing a beautiful, golden ring with a mandarin garnet jewel in the centre, surrounded by a circle of tiny white diamonds. Pulling the ring from the box and meeting Garnet's eyes, Zidane lifted the young Queen's hand as she watched him push the ring onto her engagement finger, unable to discern whether it was Zidane or herself that was responsible for the sudden bout of trembling. As the ring finally made roost at the base of her finger, Garnet darted from the beautifully shining ring towards Zidane as his eyes flickered with happiness.

"… Will you be my canary?"

Garnet shut her eyes as she squeezed what she hoped would be the last of her tears from her cheeks, still holding a hand to her trembling lips as she re-opened her hazel gaze to meet the enrapturing eyes of her beloved Zidane. After she surmised that she'd been silent long enough, she voiced the only plausible thought within her mind as she lunged towards him, arms wide open.

"Oh, wh-what in God's name do _you_ think!?"

Swiftly rising to his feet and wrapping his arms around his reason for smiling, Zidane whirled Garnet around, moving with the momentum that her lunge had placed upon him as she pressed her lips fiercely to his. Unwillingly breaking from him for just a moment, Garnet smiled wildly as she agreed to give the love of her life a proper answer.

"Yes, my _goodness_, you ridiculous boy! _Yes!_"

Pressing her lips to his again, it was only a matter of seconds before a small round of clapping was heard. Wide-eyed and still caught in an intense lip-lock, Zidane and Garnet both turned worriedly to the source of the applause, scrutinizing the dimly light forms of Eiko, Steiner, Beatrix, Freya, Mikoto and Mr. 288, all standing proud of the wooden steps unto the walkway. As the clapping subsided, Freya was the first to speak, eyeing Zidane with a cunning glint in her eyes.

"You certainly took your sweet time, Casanova," teased Freya as she folded her arms with a charming smile. "Everyone expected the proposal as soon as you got back."

"Tell me about it!" cried Eiko, smirking happily as she placed her hands on her hips. "What took you so long, Zidane?"

The thief laughed happily as Garnet circled around his side, weaving her fingers through his as Zidane gave her hand a light squeeze.

"Aye, gimme a break, will ya? It's not exactly like I've ever proposed before."

"Holy matrimony… and the ceremony that takes place, called a 'wedding'…" began Mikoto, turning towards her brother and Garnet, "… I'd very much like to see that."

Garnet smiled as she turned to Zidane, clearly having thoughts of the wedding already bubbling inside her mind as Zidane nodded happily towards his younger sister.

"Yes indeed, we _all_ would like to see that, Miss Mikoto," came Steiner's burly voice as he advanced towards the two lovers, "However, our young lovers here have forgotten one very important thing!"

Zidane turned with a raised brow towards Steiner as Garnet smiled and rolled her eyes.

"And what would that be, Rusty?"

Steiner, pleased that Zidane was back to his old self once more, smiled happily towards the youth, raising his hand authoritatively as the remaining party looked on in great amusement.

"That in order to wed the Queen of Alexandria, one must prove themselves worthy in the eyes of her Majesty's Royal Guardians! Therefore, your Majesty, if you could…"

Steiner motioned for Garnet to edge backwards as the young Queen happily obliged. Releasing Zidane as Steiner turned to Beatrix, Garnet recoiled backwards as the General smiled warmly, meeting the Captain's side as the two drew their blades and approached Zidane who suddenly froze in panic. Crossing their blades with each other as they held them proudly over Zidane's head, Steiner and Beatrix proceeded to read the appropriate rights, each holding a firm smile on their faces.

"As Royal Guardians to the Queen of Alexandria, I, Captain Adelbert Steiner-"

"And I, General Beatrix Faérbrooke-"

"-bestow our blessings upon this man and deem him _more_ than worthy of being betrothed to Queen Garnet Til Alexandros."

As the young Queen released a wide smile, Zidane thankfully remembered how to breath as Garnet collided with him, pulling him into a loving embracing as his eyes forced themselves closed in relief. Breathless, Zidane turned to Steiner and Beatrix with a nervous smile on his face.

"Geez, for a second there I honestly thought I was in deep trouble!" he stated with a laugh as Steiner gave a confident grin.

"Nonsense, lad. You acquired my blessing the moment you were willing to sacrifice yourself to save your brother. Only a true man can lay hold to such honourable claims!... And... and I know that M-Master Vivi would have been proud, Zidane."

As Zidane met the eyes of the Captain, a small smile claimed his lips as he nodded intently.

"Thank you, Steiner."

As Steiner humbly nodded and placed an assuring hand to Zidane's shoulder, a small change in weather that had proceeded unnoticed by all except one suddenly rang very clearly as the timid young woman brought it to the group's attention.

"And it would appear that the heavens provide their blessings as well," stated Mikoto as she turned to the sky. "The rain has stopped."

Zidane and Garnet lifted their eyes to the suddenly exposed moon, rapturing themselves in an ethereally beautiful moment as Zidane smiled, meeting the glowing gaze of his own guardian angel as one last tear left his eye.

'_You really were watching… weren't you, Viv's?'_

* * *

Losing little brothers hurts… a lot. I'll start by saying that I **WAS NOT ABLE TO WORK ON THIS CHAPTER FOR MORE THAN AN HOUR WITHOUT CRYING!**

... S'why it took so long. :P

I did my best to combine his last letter to me with Vivi's final thoughts to Zidane and co… hope you guys liked it. :)

Also, I changed the "My memories will be part of the sky" line to fit more with what my brother wrote, just because… it hit a little closer to home for me. Hope you guys don't hate me for that :3

And about Beatrix's last name… read that it was something or other, so I decided to make a nice one. Let me know if you approve or not :P

SO!

Little bit of love, little bit of loss, and a whole lotta family. Reviews, comments, messages, suggestions… whatever you like. :)

Good writing to all, eh?

_**LS.**_


	15. Like Father, Like Son

Zidane happily chewed upon a blade of wheatgrass as the gentle breeze ran calming rivers through his blonde hair. Dangling his feet over the edge of a steep cliff, Zidane leaned back against his arms, basking in the wonderful sunlight that graced the heights of the Mist Continent. Choco happily dashed to and fro along the wide plains with Eiko and two sons of Vivi happily upon his back, closely followed by three remaining sons of the small black mage. The remaining party members watched on, contented to take some time to relax in the beauty of the calm day. Freya, who had, like the Queen, donned a simple and elegant dress as opposed to her usual knightly attire, had previously engaged Garnet, all six Vivi clones and Eiko in the delicate art of creating various ornaments from the flowers that were littered about the vast meadows before Choco had stolen away the attentions of all of the children, save for one. The timorous child looked on towards the gallivanting youngsters, contented to distract himself, if only for a moment, by their charming laughter and innocent enjoyment. Garnet, however, remained enchanted in the activity, sewing stems and threading petals to create herself a tiara as Freya continued about creating a cross-woven bangle. Watching the young mage return to his own creation as he pulled at his straw hat and fumbled about with his materials, Garnet couldn't help but smile, reminded of how much this Vivi was akin to the original. Shifting closer to the young mage, Garnet offered a graceful hand as she began threading and sewing the conglomeration of flowers before him, rousing the upside-down, crescent moon-shaped eyes of happiness that shone so brightly within his predecessor. Suddenly distracted by a satisfied chuckle, Garnet lifted her momentary attentions to a happily swaying tail, hooking to the left and right with every wayward swish. Zidane's form caught the diffident eyes of the young queen, stirring a gentle smile to cross her lips as she darted between her ornaments and her lover as he gently allowed himself to fall backwards onto the ground. Sucking in a deeply satisfied breath, Zidane Tribal gently closed his eyes, fashioning a make-shift pillow from his hands as a familiar cooing was heard.

"_Kweeeh!"_

_***Clank!***_

"M-Master Vivi's, Lady Eiko! Good grief, not _again!?_"

As Choco took to the skies, Zidane opened a bemused eye towards the recurring scene as Steiner frantically dashed after the children yet again, his majestic red cape trailing behind him comically as he fluttered about. Having witnessed the escapade three times already, Zidane knew very well what the outcome would be. Eiko would ride Choco (with Steiner fast in tow) to one side of the meadow and back again, landing just short of the scarcely distant forest and thereafter returning to the group. A smile befell the thief's features as Choco circled about, a happily shouting Eiko flailing atop the golden bird as she turned to the flustered knight. Steiner was already out of breath, having only just managed a breather since the last misadventure. After allowing the scene to talk shape for only a few more moments (and finding not-so-subtle joy in watching Steiner flounder about), Zidane gently rolled backwards, quickly recovering to his feet as he whistled loudly, producing a Gysahl Green from his vest and crushing it within his hands.

"Here boy!"

"_Kweeeh!"_

Quickly darting around to the voice, Choco cooed happily before dive-bombing a direct line towards Zidane. Rousing further panic and a flustered wail from Steiner, Choco performed a magnificently dramatic loop before circling around the thief and landing before him, clucking happily as Eiko and the Vivi's laughed and cried out happily.

"That was awesome, Choco!"

"C-can we do it again? Pleeease?"

Zidane laughed, lifting the crushed vegetable to Choco's beak as the tiny mages bounced anxiously on the Chocobo's back. Eiko waved her arms happily as she turned to the two excited Vivi's.

"I'd say that makes me the greatest Chocobo rider in the world! Wouldn't you agree, Zidane?"

Eiko beamed towards Zidane as Choco released a series of satisfied clucks. The thief let loose a wide smile as he patted a hand to Eiko's sapphire locks, lightly messing her straight hair as she grinned ecstatically.

"Not bad for a pipsqueak, says I, but if you're gonna take off on this over-sized chicken-"

"_Wark!"_

"-heheh, just make sure you stay around here, alright?" Zidane asked as he patted a firm hand to Choco's shoulder. "You guys are the only family I've got."

Cooing once more as the remaining three Vivi's and a rather exhausted Steiner approached, Eiko gave a wide, playful grin before happily patting her hands to Choco's neck, giving more than enough incentive for the bird to break into an energetic sprint. The three Vivi's quickly followed suit, bolting after the bird and crying out for their turns as a fatigued Steiner finally gave up on the endeavour, hunching over and slapping lethargic hands to his knees with a loud '_twang'_.

"Dash it all! _-*Wheeze!*-_ Ugh, to be young and _-*gasp!*- _energetic again!"

"Heh, can't keep up with the kids, old man?"

Amarant's snide remark did little to instil any kind of reaction within the knight, opting (instead of reprimanding the bounty hunter for doubting his youth) to take a seat on the soft meadows of flowers and grass overlooking the heights of the Mist Continent.

"Hmph, I'd like to see you _-*wheeze!*-_ chase after those youngsters all day and still have a _-*puff!*- _a blight of energy left, my good man," he replied half-heartedly, struggling to withhold a yawn as Amarant chuckled under his breath.

"Hmmm, yeah, pass on that one, thanks. Baby-sitting ain't in the qualifications. Besides-"

Amarant turned towards the grounded knight with a sneer.

"-watching you flap about with that cape of yours is just too entertaining."

A notable grunt erupted from the exhausted heap that was the knight as Steiner released a heavy sigh.

"Indubitably."

Mimicking the notions of the already fully-relaxed Amarant, Steiner sprawled himself out onto the meadow, cushioning his head with his hands and taking a sure-to-be-scarce moment of relaxation to gaze upon the slightly clouded sapphire sky. As though the Gods themselves willed away the very notion, a sudden large thumping sound had the eyes of the two men turned towards a large mess of pink and white as a happily grunting Qu frantically dashed towards them, holding a multitude of coloured flowers within his/her large hands.

"Meadow smell and taste lovely! You try, you try! Everyone come, pick delicious flowers with Quina!"

Quina energetically threw his/her handful of flowers towards the men, jumping up and down before turning around happily. Watching the Qu bound joyously back towards the open meadow, Steiner suddenly sprang up, observing Eiko and the five Vivi's prancing around the meadow and joining Freya, Garnet and the remaining Vivi in picking flower after flower as Choco happily rested to the left of them. Releasing an exasperated sigh, Steiner returned to the comfort of the ground with another loud '_clang!'_

"So _now_ they decide to pick flowers! Good _-*wheeze!*-_ ... grief…"

"Well…"

Turning to the husky voice, Steiner looked on as Amarant suddenly sat up, making his way to his feet as he dusted himself off and turned to the knight.

"… I dunno about you, Rusty, but I could do with a change in scenery."

Steiner immediately shot upwards, staring at the burly man in disbelief as he made his way over to the flower fields – the idea of watching Amarant prance around a flower field just seemed so unbecoming that Steiner almost choked on his words.

"Y-y-you're… _actually going to pick flowers!?_" he asked, flabbergasted towards the man – he'd never shown an interest in anything other than the heat of battle! Could it be possible that the hardened bounty hunter found a treasured pastime collecting flowers?

"Pfft yeah, course I am," he stated sarcastically, waving off the thought with one of his giant arms. "I just want a softer place to sleep."

Continuing onwards without so much as a backwards glance, Amarant made his way onto the field of flowers, quickly catching up to the group of children and placing a hand to Choco's beak as the bird happily nuzzled against him. Sitting beside the golden Chocobo, Amarant stretched his legs out as he took to a very satisfying lean against Choco's indulgent plumage, lazily draping his blood-red dreadlocks over the sea of golden feathers. Steiner watched in disbelief as a smile spread across Amarant's face, happily watching Eiko and the Vivi's bicker and tussle over which flowers they were picking as Quina went about stuffing his/her face with as many as he/she could find.

"Absolutely extraordinary."

With a prominent grin, Steiner heaved himself up once more, noisily making his way onto the meadows as Zidane looked on happily, watching his Yan-wool cape flail merrily in the gentle breeze. Content that all was well, Zidane turned from the party, returning his gaze to the vast expanse of ocean as he stared off into the distance once more – a notion that the young Queen remembered all too well… although a small, straw-hatted part of the memory was missing. She wondered, sadly, how much longer it would take before Zidane could let go and finally come to terms with the fact that… _he_ was gone. She knew he was hurting, Garnet knew that Zidane couldn't accept it… yet, he still managed to hide it with a charming grin and an upbeat attitude, just like he was now, watching over the vast expanse of ocean as he and his little brother had done so many times before.

'_It was days like these that you loved, wasn't it, Viv's?'_ pondered the thief, folding his arms and maintaining his boyish smile. Remaining to his thoughts as he watched the sky alone, Zidane returned to many, many memories that he'd shared with the young mage, staring off into the distance at the peaceful sky or the ocean. It was at that time that the 'youngest' Vivi – who had stayed adamantly by Garnet's side – turned from his flowered ornaments and raised a question that, in honesty, surprised the young Queen minutely. After meeting the eyes of her young friend, Garnet smiled tenderly, returning her eyes to Zidane as she nodded towards him.

"That's something that I think you should ask Zidane, sweetheart."

"R-really?"

With an encouraging nod, Garnet motioned towards Zidane as the young mage stood, still managing to remain at eye-level of the kneeling princess as he determinedly strode off towards Zidane. Freya turned to the Queen with a warm smile as she tenderly worked a flower bangle onto her arm.

"Curiosity must run in the family, hmmm?" she said, lifting her arm skywards and admiring the detailed twists and patterns of the design that she'd orchestrated upon herself.

"So it would seem. The flowers are absolutely exquisite this year, aren't they?" Garnet replied, seeming to perfectly voice Freya's exact thoughts as the Burmecian nodded gleefully.

Unaware of the tiny footsteps sounding behind him, Zidane continued about his ocean-gazing as a tiny voice suddenly vanquished the silence.

"U-ummm, mister Zidane?"

Suddenly returning the thief to his senses, the young mage shuffled nervously as Zidane turned to find two small, yellow eyes staring up at him from under the brim of a large straw hat. Meeting the small face of his departed friend, Zidane shook his head with a smile and placed a hand to the young mage's shoulder.

"Hah, hey c'mon - no need for the 'mister', buddy. What can I do ya for?"

The tiny mage shifted uncomfortably, pulling at the sides of his large straw hat.

"I-I was wondering… i-if you would… maybe, ummm…"

Taking a large breath as Zidane grinned towards the stammering youth, the young Vivi looked up towards the beaming thief, finally granting himself the courage to ask of him the question he'd only just voiced to Garnet.

"… C-can you tell me about my d-dad?"

The smile suddenly fell from Zidane's face as a look of surprised claimed him. Meeting the inquisitive eyes of the youngster, Zidane quickly shot a look towards Garnet, meeting her eyes as she placed a tiara of flowers upon her head. Smiling and shrugging towards him as her orange dress billowed gently in the breeze, Garnet watched as a contented smile reclaimed Zidane's visage as he winked towards her, returning to the young mage and kneeling down to meet his eye-level.

"You wanna know about Vivi, huh?"

An energetic nod placed Zidane on the ground as he stretched his legs out and motioned for the young mage to take a seat beside him.

"Well let's start by doing something that your dad and I _loved_ doing together. Y'see, Vivi was a bit curious, just like you…"

_It was then, watching him teach his little brother's 'son' about his father, that I began to understand. Zidane wasn't holding on out of selfishness, nor was he unwilling to allow Vivi's memory to rest in peace. In fact, he wasn't holding on at all - it was _Vivi_ that couldn't leave _us._ I should have seen it from the start – Vivi was more than just an ally; not just to Zidane, but to all of us. He'd never leave us - his teachings, happiness and legacy live on even after his passing._

_They may very well outlive us, isn't that right, Vivi?_

_You've left us all with something special, something unforgettable. You were beyond our comprehension then and, even now, you continue to shine your teachings through the happy, intuitive eyes of your children. You may be gone, little one, but you will never be far from our hearts. Actually, I suppose I owe you a thank-you – after all, Zidane told me that _you_ were the one who convinced him to propose. He did, you know – the day he came back, in front of you, just like he promised. He'll be telling our children's children of this adventure with you… and how I desperately wished you could have lived to see them. It was thanks to you that we all stayed together and remained as close as we are, Vivi. That special connection only happens once in a person's lifetime… and I feel so blessed knowing that you were that person to me… and to Zidane, Steiner, Eiko… to all of us._

_Thank you, Vivi Ornitier. I will never forget you._

* * *

No, _I'll_ never forget Vivi! I didn't want my awesome little black mage to die, you stupid game!...

… just kidding, you're not a stupid game, but _srsly!_ Letting Vivi _die_ before he even saw Zidane and Dagger _kiss!?_ Not cool, Square. You make me cry! _DAMNIT!_

Eh, tangent over :) Also, shortest chapter of the _series_, over :D

Leave me reviews and messages with more suggestions, more ideas… or even just to let me know that you liked the chapters! :D

Good writing to all!

_**LS.**_


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